Conversations with Cantor Lois LOIS KITTNER

Rachel Sackett - Cancer can be a lonely place. 
Cancer during a pandemic, well I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone.  But here Rachel was, in Arizona, thousands of miles away from her family in New Jersey,
navigating two cancers (ovarian cancer AND breast cancer) during a global pandemic.  Each appointment, surgery, scan, lab and test were alone. 
Hearing that she had cancer, well she was alone for that too. 

Rachel thought the worst thing she would have to endure in 2020 was in January, when she lost the most incredible man she had ever known, her Dad. So many friends and family thought his loss could be a sign, that perhaps he was making way for the child she had been yearning to have.  Her first fertility appointment in March led to her first ultrasound to see why she wasn’t getting pregnant.  That led to her first laparoscopic surgery and her first CT scan, which not only confirmed an ovarian mass, but also a breast mass.  Her diagnosis was soon confirmed, Stage 2A ER positive breast cancer in May.  But she wasn’t done yet.  A PET scan and follow-up surgery in June uncovered Stage 3A low grade serous carcinoma ovarian cancer.  Two cancers?! How could this be? Then 2020 continued in full force: 5 Hospital stays, endless doctor appointments, dieticians, physical therapy, counseling, genetic testing, tumor testing, molecular testing, lymphedema specialists, six covid tests, 3 bowel cleanses, labs, a 19-hour road trip to MD Anderson in Houston, her first colonoscopy, isolation at home, the loss of ten body parts and the addition of two new ones was how she spent her year.  All of this while navigating a global pandemic in Arizona, thousands of miles away from her family in New Jersey and most of which she had to suffer through by herself.

RACHEL'S RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

Please take a moment toreview the organizations Rachel advocates for and has gotten so much strength and support from during her journey. 

With gratitude. #Sackettstrong

NOCC
– National Ovarian Cancer Coalition – The mission of the NOCC is to save lives
through the prevention and cure of ovarian cancer and to improve quality of
life for survivors and their caregivers

STAAR – Survive. Thrive.
Advocate. Advance Research - The only US-based non-profit dedicated to low
grade serous carcinoma ovarian cancer to advance research in the US and extend
women’s lives via research for new treatment opportunities

OCRA –
Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance – Leading organization in the world fighting
ovarian cancer on all fronts while supporting patients and families

·       STS
– Survivors Teaching Students – Program that seeks to have an impact on the way
healthcare professionals of tomorrow understand, diagnose and treat ovarian
cancer

·       W2W – Women
to Women – Unique support program that pairs gynecologic cancer patients with
trained survivor volunteers who provide one on one emotional support and
mentoring to women when they need it most

·       Advocate
Leader – Voice for the ovarian cancer
community, engaging with policymakers to help deliver critical research funding
and access to care

CSCAZ –
Cancer Support Community AZ (Global organization with 47 locations, also
referred to as Gilda’s Club) – Ensure that all people impacted by cancer are
empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by community

CDMRP –
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs – The Department of Defense
(DOD) Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OCRP) was initiated to support
high-impact, cutting-edge research that fills unmet needs    

Teal It Up
– Ovarian cancer foundation that is committed to helping women navigate the
challenges of ovarian cancer

Sharsheret – National
non-profit organization that improves the lives of Jewish women and families
living with or at increased genetic risk for breast or ovarian cancer through
personalized support and saves lives through educationa

Rabbi Debra Smith (“Reb Deb”) www.rabbidebsmith.com - received rabbinic ordination (smicha) from the Aleph Ordination Program of the Jewish Renewal Movement (2016). She completed her Master’s Degree in Jewish Studies from Gratz College in Philadelphia. Reb Deb is the founder and spiritual leader of the Or ha Lev Jewish Renewal Community in Morris County, NJ.

Reb Deb is also a seasoned clinical social worker and marriage and family therapist.

A major focus of Reb Deb’s work is in multi-faith education and outreach. She is a co-leader of the Morris County, NJ Chapter1 of the Sisterhood of Salaam-Shalom.

Reb Deb is an author and the editor of four Jewish-themed books.  Every Tallit Tells a Tale (2005) is a collection of seventy five stories about the tallit (Jewish prayer shawl) written by contributors across the USA and in Israel (2005). Words from the Heart: Multi-faith Prayers, Poems and Blessings (2020) and its newly released sequel, Fractured Hearts: Multi-faith Words of Hope and Healing (2021), both contain contributions from more than 50 authors from across the faith spectrum on a variety of topics. Heart Whispers: Sharing Reflections with G-d (2021), is a newly release collection of Reb Deb’s own poems and prayers.

She is a faculty member at the Aleph Ordination Program, where she teaches Pastoral Counseling and Clergy Ethics.


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Stacey Agin Murray is a Certified Virtual Professional Organizer and Author in Fair Lawn, NJ. Time spent growing up in a 5’ x 12’ bedroom provided the foundation for her work in the field of organizing. Stacey's company, Organized Artistry, LLC was born in 2002 from a desire to help others achieve the feelings of freedom, preparedness, and calm she experiences from being organized.


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Rabbi Susan Elkodsi received rabbinic ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion (AJR-NY) in May of 2015 and has been spiritual leader of the Malverne Jewish Center since August of 2015. Additionally, she provides pastoral and rabbinic services to local rehab and assisted living facilities, and is president of the Long Island Board of Rabbis. Her writing has appeared on JewishSacredAging.com, and she has presented workshops for Limmud, NY, for AJR and in the community, on ethical wills and spiritual legacies. She is currently working on a book that will share Torah wisdom “by elders, for elders,” which can be seen on her website, www.babyboomerrabbi.com.

In 2019 Rabbi Elkodsi received a Rabbinic Certificate in Gerontology and Palliative Care from the Wurzweiler School of Social work at Yeshiva University, and takes advantage of their continuing education programs relating to aging and end-of-life issues.

She is passionate about helping Baby Boomers and older adults to find meaning and purpose in their lives within the context of Jewish tradition and teachings, and as part of a Jewish community, in however they see themselves. Over the past six years she has become an integral part of the Malverne Village community and has made many positive connections in the various Orthodox and liberal communities in the surrounding area.

A serial knitter who loves to spin her own yarn,  her essay about “Spinning Knitting and Judaism was published in The Knit Vibe by Vickie Howell in 2019. She and her husband David have two children; Phillip a math teacher in Vermont, and Jacqueline who works in the beauty industry.


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My special guest today is Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein, who serves her community in Elgin, Illinois. Margaret has written a beautiful blessing for receiving the Coronavirus Vaccine and although it is written in a somewhat Jewish context, it is certainly accessible to anyone who wants to acknowledge receiving this miracle at a given moment in time. This is a very interesting, down-to-earth conversation about dark times, taking action, supporting others, and Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message of hope.

Here is a link to the Blessing of Thanks for Receiving the Vaccine at this moment in time: https://ritualwell.org/ritual/shehekheyanu-receiving-vaccine


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Meet my dear friend, Lynn Demetrakis: scholar, Jr/Sr High School teacher, college teacher, yogi, voracious reader, amazing chef, baker extraordinaire, community leader, devoted wife, and inspiring mother to her two adult daughters. Lynn is a down-to-earth woman of wisdom, and I am delighted to share her with you!


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