Yad b'Yad (Hand in Hand)
Margery Dannenbaum
856-424-1333, ext. 163
Yad b'Yad (Hand in Hand) is a community of individuals empowering one another in the fight against breast cancer. The program provides one-on-one conversations between breast cancer survivors and new patients, support groups, preparation and distribution of a resource guide for patients, educational seminars, volunteer assistance, and other support.
Yad b'Yad is the vision of a group of Jewish breast cancer survivors of varying ages, diagnoses, and prognoses living in our community who want to share resources, education, and other types of support with those who are living with a breast cancer diagnosis. Jewish Family and Children's Service of Southern New Jersey, in partnership with the Philadelphia Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and funded in part by a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation and other community sponsors, administers the program.
Several training groups have already been held, with more planned, to train survivors to help lead support groups for new patients. Many matches have been made between survivors and new patients. Because nutrition plays an important role in maintaining health, Registered Dietitian Deena Neurwirth has been hired as a part-time consultant. She will host a series of free nutrition workshops for breast cancer patients, and is also available for private consultations. The initial consultation is free for Yad b'Yad participants. A conference on genetics is also planned, and a resource guide is being prepared. But perhaps the greatest gift of all is the support a survivor can offer new patients by actively listening to and validating their experiences.
For more information about the program, contact Margery Dannebaum at 856-424-1333, ext. 163, or email mdannenbaum@jfedsnj.org. Anyone interested in volunteering to help should contact Volunteer Coordinator Andi Loew at ext. 180 or at aloew@jfedsnj.org.
A beautiful new Yad b'Yad tribute card, perfect for Mothers Day, can be viewed online under tribute cards, and is available to order by calling 424-1333 x160. If you are interested in donating funds in support of Yad b'Yad, send your tax deductible check to Jewish Family and Children's Service, 1301 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, NJ. 08003, Attn: Yad b'Yad.
A generous donation enables JFCS to provide a free Kimmie Cares doll to any community member who has a young child and is living with a diagnosis of cancer. The doll has removable hair and a scarf, and comes with a book, Mommy and Me: Taking Care of Each Other, which helps young children to understand what their mothers are going through during cancer treatment. For more information, contact Margery Dannenbaum at ext. 163.