Weekend to End Women’s Cancers

By Mike Cohen, August 24th, 2012

The annual Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix Weekend to End Women’s Cancers takes place next weekend,  August 25 and 26, and here is one very special story connected to the event, which will see participants walk either 32 of 61 km.  They can designate fundraising dollars to go specifically to breast or gynecologic cancers.
Since 2005, more than $45 million has been raised by Weekend participants  in Montreal, enabling numerous advances in cancer research and care. Proceeds continue to fund innovative research, treatment, and prevention programs for breast and gynecologic cancers at the Segal Cancer Centre at the Jewish General Hospital.    
Glenda Kaufman passed away just over a year ago from breast cancer. Sadly, she thought she had beaten the disease 12 years earlier. For friends like Jodie Margolis-Freedman, it was a tough pill to swallow. “Glenda and I became friends at a very young age,” she recalls. “We both thought we connected in kindergarten. Our parents say it was before that at the local community swimming pool. Her death had affected so many people.”
For Margolis-Freedman  watching her friend fight so hard  and feeling so helpless, was torture. “You pray for a miracle, but  unfortunately, that was not going to happen,” she said.  “Every day  after work  we would run down to see her and support her husband, daughters and parents.”
Margolis-Freedman decided recently to do something in her friend’s memory and established a team to take part in the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers. This includes friends and Glenda’s 17 year old daughter.   “Our team captain, Andrea Bertelan, was the first to decide to walk, then Farla Salmanovitch,” she explains.   “They both kept asking me to join, I will admit, I was very intimidated by the $2, 000 commitment, in order to walk, but finally, I agreed last November. I sent out emails to everyone I knew, posted on Facebook, spoke about it often, and reached my fundraising goal by the beginning of March.”
By March, Tayla, Glenda's 17 year old daughter decided to join the group. The team continued to grow, with friends Donna Gold, Roberta Strulovitch,  Samantha Waks, Amanda Nagus and Erica Grand  signing on.   Glenda’s 14 year old daughter Maayan is  too young to walk, but, in order to honour her mom  she will be volunteering that day. 
 “We have all reached and surpassed our goal,” said Jodie. “ Collectively, our team has raised over $20,000.  We have been practicing and all looking forward to the weekend.
We know that it  will bring a lot of emotions to the surface, but we are looking forward to honoring our friend and being a support to each other, and doing exactly what she would have done and wanted us to do and that is have the best time, a lot of laughs and fun.
“We look forward to celebrating our goal and Glenda's life at the finish line with her husband Eran Strulovitch. Glenda's family,   Eran, , rallied around Glenda and did not leave her side for a moment, sleeping at the hospital from the day she went in, until the day she died, as he is supporting us and encouraging and rallying around all of us.  He is the team’s greatest support. Glenda's family are truly my inspiration for doing the walk.  Courage and determination beyond anyone's imagination, Glenda will live on through her girls. I am truly proud to be part of  Team Glenda. As  a team, we are truly a strong force.”
For more information on how you can get involved go to www.endcancer.ca

BRIEFLY NOTED
CJAD Sports  Director Rick Moffat will be walking along with the Montreal Alouettes and Team Proudfoot Sunday Aug. 26 for the Walk to Tackle A.L.S. Readers who wish to join his team can log on to: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1554015&langPref=en-CA.

Have you got something for the Public Eye? Email mcohen@thesuburban.com or call 514-484-9203, ext. 307.