Dear Friends of The Lewin Fund,

We are pleased to share with you the Fund’s work and activities during 2018. Our mission continues to guide us: Education and Prevention, Quality of Life Initiatives, and Research.

The universe for cancer support is vast, and much quality work is taking place. Breast cancer, childhood cancers, and prostate cancer, for example, receive much attention, while gynecological cancer research is mostly underfunded. And while we have witnessed significant advances in cancer research and life expec-tancy, ovarian cancer—the silent killer, uterine/endometrial cancer, and other gynecologic cancers have not had the resources and focus that are required to advance early detection and treatment. The Lewin Fund is working to change that.

As we move into 2019, we honor the memory of Mary Lou Ashford by supporting a major research project focused on uterine/endometrial cancer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (affiliated with Harvard Medical School). In our discussions with Dana-Farber, we confirmed there is little research funding in this area, and our sponsorship is an opportunity to change this dynamic. Our scientific advisors and other distinguished colleagues have endorsed our support of this project, which will commence in January 2019. This new initiative is happening alongside the ovarian cancer research we continue to support at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Look for updates about both areas of research on The Lewin Fund’s website!

Our support for Woman to Woman at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York continues to be a focus for the Fund. Supporting survivors and newly diagnosed women through reunions that provide current informa-tion along with strategies to improve their quality of life during and after treatment remains a priority for us. More reunions are planned for 2019, and planning is underway to expand the Woman to Woman program into other tri-state hospitals.

In 2018, The Lewin Fund broke ground by establishing a new forum for Hispanic women in the New York City area. Conversations around the topic of gynecologic cancers can be extra challenging due to the cul-tural norms in the Hispanic community. Like Woman to Woman, this forum provided essential informa-tion to the participants and included a question-and-answer session. With very positive feedback, we are making plans to include this targeted-audience forum in our regular schedule. Planning is underway for 2019.

Community outreach continues to be an important aspect of our work and supports our mission of educa-tion and prevention. We plan to sponsor the following programs in 2019:

Through our Transportation Fund at Mount Sinai Hospital, monitored by social workers there, the Fund provides monies for underserved women to travel to chemotherapy and other essential appointments. The need is great, and our contribution will continue in the coming year.
Another Cancer Survivors Day program at Holy Name Hospital in New Jersey.
Along with the activities already described, we are working on establishing a research symposium in the tri-state area.

Our support also spans the world through our work with the Global Focus on Cancer, a nonprofit that trains women in developing countries. This organization has promoted cancer awareness and support for women in a number of nations. A program in DaNang, Vietnam, in August created 12 clinicians’ champions and trained 30 cancer survivors to be new trainers for the program. The training included clinicians/social workers from a number of hospitals and the cancer survivor groups associated with each institution.

As you consider making charitable gifts before 2018 comes to a close, we ask that you make a donation to The Lewin Fund. Our work cannot flourish without your support. There are a number of ways to donate, which we have listed at http://www.thelewinfund.org/donate/.

You can be confident that your donation will directly support the Fund’s activities and initiatives; we strive to spend the very minimum on administrative costs, with no one at the Fund receiving any salary.

We wish you and yours a healthy and peaceful new year. We are honored to share our progress and thank you in advance for your support.

With best personal regards,

SHARYN N. LEWIN, MD
PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR