health & wellness

A True
Force

Cancer Survivors
Can Enroll In
Silver Linings

Volunteer
Ellyn Davidson
brings her expertise
to national group
for hereditary
breast cancer.

Elizabeth Lenhard
Special to the Jewish News

A

one in 40 people have a hereditary muta-
tion related to breast or ovarian cancer
compared to one in 400 in the general
population. But Davidson is approaching
her presidency with all her business sense
at the ready.
"Listen, FORCE has a very sound
mission and we have great programs:'
Davidson says. "We've done amazing
things in the BRCA and hereditary breast
and ovarian cancer communi-
ties. We've given and given
and given, and on a very lean
budget. But at some point, a
nonprofit has to take — to fun-
draise — or it can't keep giving.
So that's my goal as president.
We're going to strengthen those
fundraising muscles."

t 36, Ellyn Davidson was
enjoying her joyfully chaotic
existence. She was an execu-
tive at the Birmingham advertising agency,
Brogan & Partners. She had a husband,
a newly renovated house in Huntington
Woods and three boisterous little kids.
Then she got the one-two
punch that changed her
identity overnight. She was
diagnosed with breast can-
cer and given the news that
she had the BRCA 2 genetic
mutation. Women with a
BRCA mutation have a 50-85
percent risk of developing
breast cancer and a 27-54
percent chance of contract-
Busy Volunteer
ing ovarian cancer, according Ellyn David son
Davidson knows how to make
to thebreastcaresite.com.
this happen. She's laser-focused
Actually, it's not accurate to say
on fundraising in her volunteer work on
Davidson's identity completely changed.
the Partners Committee for Karmanos
As anyone who knows her will tell you,
Cancer Institute, at the Coalition on
Davidson is a big-time doer. The first
Temporary Shelter and as a board mem-
chance she got during that first flurry of
ber at Winning Futures.
doctor's appointments, she called an orga-
She also brings ample relationship-
nization tailor made for people who have
building skills to the table, some of them
a hereditary predisposition for developing
honed as board president at the Michigan
cancer. It's called FORCE: Facing Our Risk
Amber Alert Foundation and as a member
of Cancer Empowered. The website is
of the marketing committee at the Jewish
www.facingourrisk.org/index.php.
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, where
"I told them I wanted to get involved,"
Davidson says.
Drug Targets Those With
Eight years later, she's been named
national board president of FORCE, which
BRCA-Mutation Cancer
Every woman diagnosed with ovari-
has more than 250 volunteers helping
cancer patients, survivors and "previvors"
an cancer meets national guidelines
around the country. The organization also
for genetic counseling and testing.
Now women with ovarian cancer
serves as a powerful advocate for national
policy. For instance, FORCE is, in part, to
have a new reason to learn if they
thank for the 2008 passage of the Genetic
have a mutation. In December 2014,
Information Nondiscrimination Act,
the FDA approved the first target-
which prevents health insurance compa-
ed-therapy for treating people with
nies and employers from discriminating
cancer caused by a BRCA mutation.
against those with a genetic predisposition
Lynparza, a type of medica-
tion known as a PARP inhibi-
for cancer or other conditions.
Davidson puts plenty of emotion
tor, was approved for women
into her work with FORCE. As with any
with a BRCA mutation to treat
inherited condition, having BRCA affects
advanced ovarian, fallopian tube
or primary peritoneal cancer in
her entire family, not to mention her
Ashkenazi Jewish community, where

96

September 10 • 2015

she helps advise a different Federation
program or member agency each month.
"That
Davidson says, "I can help
the Jewish community in a global way."
The same goes for her work in the
FORCE community. Davidson's impact
will be felt throughout the national orga-
nization. But it wont stop her from doing
one of FORCE's most fundamental, and
local, tasks — counseling women who are
navigating a fresh diagnosis of a BRCA
mutation.
"Oh, of course, I'll always do that,"
Davidson says, estimating that she's had
between 75 and 100 of those critical con-
versations. "My family knows when I'm on
one of those calls. There's so much infor-
mation to process and so many emotional
aspects to it, too. They get it — and they
order take-out for dinner."
Davidson laughs as she admits this. If
life after breast cancer and BRCA is even
more full, she'll be the first to tell you that
it's no less joyful than it used to be.
"Maybe ifs even more so," she muses.
"Knowing that I'm helping to change what
it means to have this mutation for my
children and for so many men and women
— that brings me a lot of joy. My amazing
oncologist said to me once, 'Ellyn, your
daughter will never have to go through
what you went through. And what's more
motivating than that?"

❑

women who have already received
three or more rounds of chemo-
therapy treatments.
Approval of Lynparza is an impor-
tant first step forward in treating
hereditary cancers, and clinical tri-
als are looking at PARP inhibitors
in other settings including treat-
ment of people with other cancers
such as breast, pancreatic and
prostate cancer, and people with
other hereditary mutations such as
PALB2 and PTEN. For more infor-
mation, visit facingourrisk.org .

Source: Sue Friedman, executive
director of FORCE.

The Beaumont Health Center in Royal
Oak is offering Silver Linings, an
eight-week, mindfulness-based stress
reduction program for female cancer
survivors.
The fall workshop will help them
learn how to reduce stress with tools
that include meditation, gentle yoga,
mindful eating and communication.
The program also addresses concerns
common to women who have survived
any type of cancer, such as fear of
recurrence and changes in relation-
ships and body image.
The sessions are led by Ruth
Lerman, M.D., an experienced teacher
of meditation and yoga. She is a spe-
cialist in breast disease and three-time
breast cancer survivor since 1994.
Participants will receive four record-
ings to facilitate their home practice.
A research team from Oakland
University and Beaumont Health
System completed a randomized,
controlled study of Silver Linings in
September 2010. Their work was pub-
lished in the September 2011 Annals of

Surgical Oncology.
"Our research has shown that
program participants experience an
improved quality of life," Lerman says.
"Participants in the study improved
in psychological symptoms and can-
cer symptoms. Our research has been
frequently cited in subsequent studies
of mindfulness training of cancer sur-
vivors."
More than 300 women have benefit-
ed from Silver Linings training since
2005.
While there is no charge for Silver
Linings, space is limited and registra-
tion is required. Registration is open
to all women, regardless of where they
received treatment for their cancer. All
interested participants must attend
an evening information/registra-
tion meeting Sept. 17 or Sept. 24 at
the Beaumont Health Center, 4949
Coolidge Highway, Royal Oak.
The fall class will meet on
Thursdays, Oct. 1-Dec. 3 at 5:30 p.m.
There will be no class on Oct. 22 or
Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving). A day-long
retreat on Sunday, Nov. 15, is also part
of the program.
Participants must be 18 years or
older and have completed their cancer
treatments. Contact Pam Jablonski at
(248) 551-4645 or pjablonski@beau-
mont.edu. For more information Silver
Linings, go to http://bit.ly/1Q8BLbE.

