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Hodgkin's lymphoma patient Christine Sherman, who lives near Pittsburgh,
flew to Chicago to meet her "Mentor Angel" Meredyth Brook.

support during her cancer was crucial,
but mentoring has proven vital as well.
"What you find out is that when
you finish treatment is when you start
dealing with the emotional aspect of
it all — and it helped me to mentor. It
showed me how far along I had gotten
in my process:' she says.
Then there's Steve Gould, who acts
as a caregiver mentor to other spouses
after losing his wife to colon cancer.
"It's never a phone call I want to
receive, but I'm happy to help."
Dr. Steve Rosen, chief of oncol-
ogy at Lurie Comprehensive Cancer
Center at Northwestern University
in Chicago and a doctor on Imerman
Angels' medical advisory board, refers
patients regularly.
"A number of my patients have
become very involved because they've
been so pleased with the organiza-
tion:' he says. "Jonny himself is a posi-
tive life force

Detroit Ties
The son of Jane Ruzumna, Imerman
was raised with brother Jeffrey as
a member of Temple Kol Ami in
West Bloomfield, where he attended
Sunday school and became a bar
mitzvah. He graduated high school
from Cranbrook Schools in 1993 and
remained in Michigan throughout his
20s, a regular participant in the Jewish
Federation's Young Adult Division
(YAD) activities.
Imerman cites the influence of his
mother and Jewish values as his inspi-
ration.
"I really believe that Jewish cul-
ture teaches service he says. "It's
so important from day one. Helping
people with less is such a core value of
our culture?'
After his recovery in 2005, Imerman
packed his bags and moved to Chicago
for a change of pace. There he built his

dream organization. Today, Imerman
Angels' 1,300-square-foot office in
downtown Chicago employs five full-
timers, three of them cancer survivors.
Fighters, survivors and caregivers
all register online through the website
and then receive a call from someone
at the organization who connects
them with an appropriate match.
All mentors are first trained by the
organization. The service is entirely
free; money comes from personal
donations, fundraising events and the
organization's marathon team, Team
Imerman Angels, which raises about
$130,000 each year.
Imerman, who dubs himself the
chief mission officer of the organiza-
tion, makes it his business to get the
word out about Imerman Angels, trav-
eling to major cancer centers around
the country to meet with doctors,
nurses and social workers, and speak-
ing at sponsored events that regularly
draw hundreds and even thousands.
To date, Imerman Angels has connect-
ed people throughout 16 countries,
including Israel.
Imerman spoke at Dick O'Dow's in
Birmingham in February at an event
sponsored by Jewish Family Service.
Benji Salter, an anesthesiology fel-
low in New York City who grew up in
Farmington Hills, set up NYC's first
Imerman Angels event on March 29. He
describes finding support from a men-
tor during his battle with cancer "like
turning on a light in a dark corner."
Marc Chibnik of Chicago, who is
currently battling non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma and searching for a stem
cell match, sums it up well: "It's such
a simple concept, but it's helped so
much. What Jonny is doing is just bril-
liant?' El

To learn more, go to www.imermanangels.

org.

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March 29 • 2012

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