health & wellness
Healthy Appearance
During chemotherapy treatments,
caps can help patients retain their hair.
West Bloomfield
6623 Orchard Lake Rd.
248.626.5451
Julie Fershtman, wearing a Penguin Cold Cap during treatment, and her
husband, Rob.
Ruthan Brodsky
Special to the Jewish News
D
Health Care Center
56
September 27 - 2012
r. Andrew Markowitz, a
West Bloomfield gynocolo-
gist, found a lump in Julie
Fershtman's breast during a routine
annual exam in September 2011. That
same month, Fershtman of Franklin
was sworn in as president of the State
Bar of Michigan.
Her October breast cancer diagnosis
was confirmed, and Dr. Jeffrey Margolis
of Royal Oak was selected as oncologist.
In November, Fershtman underwent a
double mastectomy.
As a wife, mother, shareholder at the
Farmington Hills office of Foster, Swift,
Collins, Smith PC, and now president
of the Michigan State Bar, Fershtman
didn't want to look sick. She wanted to
appear normal, even through her che-
motherapy treatments.
"Dr. Markowitz recommended using
the Penguin Cold Cap treatment to pos-
sibly prevent hair loss," said Fershtman.
"He is very supportive of the method
for patients. Thankfully my chemo
substances — taxotere and cytoxin —
worked well with the caps, although not
all chemo formulas de
Her four chemo infusion rounds took
place from the end of December 2011
through the end of February 2012. Her
efforts at a normal life continued with
few exceptions. She announced herself
as a "breast cancer survivor" to the
State Bar in March of this year on her
presidential blog.
Penguin Cold Cap therapy involves
using special caps frozen to extremely
cold temperatures and worn before,
during and after each chemotherapy
treatment. By continuously applying
these precisely cooled crylon gel caps
to the scalp, the blood vessels beneath
the skin are narrowed, reducing the
amount of toxic chemicals that reach
the hair follicles. The caps must fit
tightly and are changed every 10 to 30
minutes depending on hair type and
chemo treatment to maintain their pre-
cise cold temperature. Patients require
a support person with them during
treatment to correctly fit and change
the caps.
Eileen Bradley of Farmington Hills
assisted Fershtman with her Cold Caps
throughout her chemotherapy. Bradley
herself was diagnosed with lung cancer
and breast cancer in 2004. She found
out about the Cold Caps after calling
various cancer research centers and
used them during treatments for both
cancers.
"I thought that if science can put
a man on the moon, there must be
something to help keep your hair
while undergoing chemotherapy:' said
Bradley. "The University of Michigan
told me about a company in England.
I spoke with the inventor and ordered
the caps':
Margolis was Bradley's oncologist
and, at the time, he was unaware of the
Cold Caps.
"I asked him if I could use his office
to operate this system that may save
my hair during chemotherapy:' said
Bradley. "Although he felt it wasn't
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