I
Health & Fitness
WE -NES
Silver Linings
Breast cancer survivors join in benefit sprint triathlon.
Judith Doner Berne
Special to the Jewish News
S beryl Dovitz is celebrating five
years of breast cancer survivor-
ship by training and participat-
ing in her second sprint triathlon.
The 50-year-old West Bloomfield wife
and mother who works as a sales represen-
tative is a common sight on that township's
hillier bike paths as she gears up for the
Aug. 23 Island Lake Triathlon in Brighton.
Joining her will be some of her fellow
participants in the Silver Linings Cancer
Wellness program, which three-time
breast cancer survivor Ruth Lerman, M.D.,
also of West Bloomfield, has directed at
William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak
since 2005.
"Last year, I did two legs of the race':
says Dovitz, who hopes to repeat riding a
bike for 12.5 miles and walking or run-
ning for 3.1 miles.
"I was a member of a relay team:' she
says, noting that a partner completed the
half-mile swim.
"I've never done anything like that
before," Dovitz added.
Her experience was pretty much par
for the course, which will be available for
test runs in each event — and finessing
the transitions required between — on
Saturday, June 20, in what is being billed
as "Try the Tri."
"You can really see what exactly hap-
pens, like how do I go from biking to
walk-running," Dovitz says. "Last year, my
husband came out and trained with me
Fighting Back
"Silver Linings members will have the
opportunity to try out all aspects of the
course," says Lerman, 53, who is celebrat-
ing her own survivorship with her fifth
participation in a triathlon. She will corn-
pete in all events.
"This August`tri' happens to coincide
with the 15th anniversary of my first breast
cancer, the 10th anniversary of my second
breast cancer and the fifth anniversary of
my third breast cancer;' Lerman says.
She says she is unafraid as she
approaches another five-year anniversary,
generally considered to be a critical span
for surviving cancer. "I'm pretty good at
breast cancer': she says.
Lerman, an internist specializing in
breast health and disease, founded the
Silver Linings program four years ago. She
uses techniques she developed for herself
--i----7-17-_-,
.-
Silver Linings wellness group founder Dr. Ruth Lerman will mark
"I finished; that was my goal," says Silver Linings mem-
ber Sheryl Dovitz, on the move at last year's Island Lake
the 15th, 10th and fifth anniversaries of her breast cancers at
Triathlon.
this year's Aug. 23 triathlon.
to help others deal with the fear that their
cancer will come back.
"My second breast cancer taught me
the importance of a mind-body-spirit
approach to wellness," Lerman says. "For
many women, completing treatment can
be a surprisingly difficult time. They've
had medical staff, family and friends
swarming around them:'
When that falls away, the fear factor
remains.
"Survivors may struggle with fear of
recurrent cancer, issues around body
image, intimacy or infertility:' Lerman
says. "Others struggle to find a new defini-
tion of normal."
Valuable Tools
Participating in the triathlon, which raises
funds to help support Silver Linings, is just
one option offered during the two-hour,
eight-week interactive workshops, which
teach mindfulness, whether through med-
itation, yoga, listening and writing.
Lerman presents these as tools that can
help participants focus on personal goals
such as improved physical fitness, better
eating habits, reduced stress and greater
peace of mind.
"Learning to be open to what's happen-
ing in the moment has little to do with the
actual cancer': Lerman says. "It has more
to do with empowerment, going forward
in your life and using the cancer experi-
ence as a vehicle for personal growth:'
"Everybody picks a goal;' Dovitz says,
of the workshop she participated in some
years back. "We had homework. I loved
going.
"I felt like it was not a traditional support
group. It's more active. It was more like how
you live your life to the fullest every day. We
did things to heal the whole person."
Be Aware
With the increasing awareness of heredi-
tary breast and ovarian cancer, Lerman is
reaching out to what she calls "previvors"
— women who have tested positive for the
genetic mutation that can cause breast and
ovarian cancer, particularly in Ashkenazi
Jewish populations.
Rachel Hearshen, 34, who recently
tested positive for the hereditary mutation
BRCA2, is training for the walking leg of
the triathlon as part of her participation
in the current Silver Linings sessions.
"The triathlon seemed like something
I could tackle. It fit in with the goal I set
of being healthier': the Farmington Hills
woman says.
As the only previvor in the group,
Hearshen felt kind of awkward at first. But
she finds that "the fear of recurrence and
the fear of occurrence is the same. It's on
my mind every single day"
At some point, a previvor workshop may
be formed.
"We are being considered for a Jewish
Women's Foundation grant to further
develop this very-high-risk group':
Lerman says.
She is also working on another group
for people with other forms of cancer.
Race Wise
The Island Lake Triathlon is open to
anyone, but signing up under the Silver
Linings designation ensures that a portion
of the race fee goes to the group. Silver
Linings team members have access to a
training plan and team meetings. A raffle
for a high-end bike also raises funds.
"We're super happy to help:' says race
director Jim Jackson.
"No one should be excluded from
Silver Linings due to lack of funds:' wrote
Sue McIntyre, a recent Silver Linings
alumnus in a letter that accompanied her
donation. "Paralyzed with anxiety and
married to my couch, all the joy in living
had been sucked out of me by the fear of
dying.
"Silver Linings provided the rope that
helped me pull myself slowly, hand over fist,
with great effort, back to a haven of hope,
by teaching and reminding me to find and
listen to my own inner-calming voice
Participation is not covered by insur-
ance. "Philanthropy is what allows me to
keep doing it': Lerman says. 7_
For more information, go to the Web site
trisilverlinings.googlepages.com/
or e-mail SilverLinings@beaumont.edu .
May 21 ' 2009
A47