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All That
Jazz
Cancer-patient
support concert
marks 10th year.
Elaine Greenberg speaks to the crowd at
last year’s Jazzalot concert.
Shelli Liebman Dorfman | Contributing Writer
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2100830
SHOP
THE SALE!
BOOKBUSTER SALE AND SPORTS DRAWING
THURSDAY, MAY 19
3 - 9pm
Buy 3, the 4th* is free (*least expensive item)
Spend $25 or more to be entered in two special drawings:
WIN ICE SKATES of Olympic Champions
Meryl Davis and Charlie White
and
WIN TIGER BASBALL GAME tickets
MAY 15-22, 2016
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CHAIRPERSON
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Detroit Free Press Columnist
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SUNDAY, MAY 22
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Proceeds benefit education and
literacy programs.
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2016 SPONSORS
or more than three decades,
Elaine Greenberg has focused
her career on sharing and
teaching about the world of music.
After being diagnosed with ovarian
cancer, she took a brief hiatus and then
continued her work schedule while
also directing her talent, experience
and knowledge toward bringing some
joy and comfort to patients with can-
cer.
A retired piano and voice teacher,
also a cantorial soloist and junior choir
conductor at Temple Israel, Greenberg
says when she became ill she made a
vow to help others with the disease. “I
knew I would do it in some way with
my love of music,” she said.
Greenberg fulfilled that promise by
holding prayer services and entertain-
ment programming for patients and
survivors and visiting — and singing
to — patients. She also created a CD of
uplifting music and inspirational talks,
selling them for donations to cancer
causes.
In time, she began to assemble gift
packages to bring on visits, holding
an annual concert to fundraise for the
gifts. This year’s Jazzalot: Music for
the Soul, celebrating its 10th anniver-
sary, will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday,
May 31, at Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield, a co-sponsor of the show
along with the nonprofit Living For
Music Inc. cancer support organization
founded by Greenberg and her hus-
band, Shelly.
Featured artists include George
“Saxman” Benson, Dave Bennett, the
Cliff Monear Trio and the Southeastern
Music Academy Jazz Ensemble, along
with Greenberg, who joins in with a
song or two each year.
BAG OF GIFTS
On visits to patients, Greenberg brings
with her firsthand experience and
empathy, and hand-chosen favors
packed inside an insulated tote for
patients to use to bring food items
while getting treatments.
“I give them the beautiful bags and
tell them I am a 16-year survivor and
that immediately starts a dialogue, giv-
ing them hope,” she said. “Then they
begin to take things out of the bag and
I see the smiles on their faces.”
Gifts include a journal, skin care
items specially formulated for Living
For Music Inc. with all-natural ingre-
dients and no odor, a handmade
bracelet, a copy of Greenberg’s CD and
more. This year, adult coloring books
and colored pencils were donated, as
were blankets, hand-knit by the West
Bloomfield-based Cancer Thrivers
Network for Jewish Women, com-
posed of cancer survivors, including
Greenberg.
Greenberg typically assembles and
distributes 60 bags annually to three
area cancer centers. This year she cre-
ated 70.
DOING THE RIGHT THING
Reactions of patients she meets reaf-
firms to Greenberg, 80, that she is
achieving exactly what she hopes.
“I visited one cancer center and a
patient was very angry because she
had to wait for a chair and she just
wanted to get her treatment and get
out of there,” Greenberg recalls. “I
went over to her, put my arms around
her and told her, ‘I understand why
you are unhappy. I went through
chemo, too, and I just wanted to get
the treatment over, but I have some-
thing wonderful to make you smile.’
According to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, ovarian cancer symptoms
are difficult to detect in early stages but may include pelvic or abdominal pain
or discomfort, vague but persistent gastrointestinal upsets, frequent urination,
unexplained weight changes, pelvic or abdominal bloating, ongoing unusual
fatigue and unexplained changes in bowel habits.
O N L I N E P R O M O T I O N S T H AT C O U N T
*
2101960
18 May 19 • 2016