Cancer Mentoring

Jewish Family Service offers help
navigating a cancer diagnosis.

M

y journey had begun. My
head was swimming. I
was in a fog. I didn't really
know where to go to for answers. I
really didn't even know the 'right'
questions to ask. No one handed me
a pamphlet that said, 'Here, this is
what you need to do to get through
this nightmare."
These were the words of Lisa Soble
Seigmann, Jewish communal profes-
sional and breast cancer survivor, at
the opening of the American Cancer
Society Resource Center at Jewish
Family Service in West Bloomfield.
Siegmann spoke poignantly of her
journey since discovering she is
positive for the gene mutation that
causes an elevated risk of several
different cancer diagnoses.
She spoke about learning she had
a 47 percent chance of being diag-
nosed with ovarian cancer and an 85
percent chance of being diagnosed
with breast cancer in her lifetime.
Siegmann said what she would have
liked then was a place that could
provide her with resources and sup-
port for her journey.
The new JFS Cancer Resource
Connection hopes to be that place.
Facts show 11 million people live
with cancer in any given year in the
U.S. and that 1.7 million new cancer
diagnoses are given each year. Jewish
people of Eastern European descent
face a higher risk of developing
many different types of cancer.
The JFS Cancer Resource
Connection is a new program
designed to help people navigate the
often-overwhelming journey of can-
cer diagnosis and treatment for the
patients as well as their families and
loved ones.
The program's four components:
• A Jewish cancer mentoring pro-
gram: The JFS program connects
newly diagnosed cancer patients
with cancer survivors for support
through a telephone relationship.
This program is for men and women

JCC Library Accreditation

The Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit's Henry & Delia
Meyers Library and Media Center
has received advanced accredita-
tion from the Association of Jewish
Libraries.
Accreditation was granted to the
library based on criteria such as

and encompasses all cancer diagno-
ses. The program also offers mentor-
ing opportunities for caregivers, who
often face a difficult and lonely task.
This program provides training for
the mentors and ongoing support for
the mentoring relationship.
• A local resource guide will help
people find the resources they
need to move forward in their fight
against cancer. Many suggestions in
this guide have come from local can-
cer survivors who have used these
resources in their own journeys.
• Our outreach and educational
programming raises awareness of
the elevated risk of a cancer diagno-
sis within the Jewish community, for
both men and women. This program
partners with local health organiza-
tions and hospital systems to bring
the newest information about pre-
vention and treatment of genetically
transmitted cancers.
• Partnership with the American
Cancer Society to provide the
resource center, which is manned
by volunteers who help newly diag-
nosed cancer patients understand
their diagnosis and access American
Cancer Society programming and
services, such as organizing a
Personal Health Manager portfolio
or clinical trial information.
JFS also hosts the American Cancer
Society Look Good Feel Better pro-
gram, where women have an oppor-
tunity to learn specific techniques
for makeup and personal appearance
enhancement during and after che-
motherapy. JFS also is a team part-
ner in the American Cancer Society
Relay for Life in West Bloomfield.
JFS's goal is to help people travel
very difficult roads in life and to
help with their journeys. Now, in
addition to a broad array of services,
JFS can help those touched by a can-
cer diagnosis.
For assistance, call Shira Yechieli
at (248) 592-3693 or email her at
syechieli@jfsdetroit.org .

policies, procedures, collection devel-
opment and programs.
Head Librarian Francine Menken
has worked there for six years. "I'm
thrilled with this recognition of the
excellence of our library" she said.
For information, contact Menken
at frnenken@jccdet.org or (248) 432-
5546; or visit www.jccdet.org. I

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July 7• 2011

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