President & Founder Mara Ginsberg, Esq. Mara Ginsberg is a breast cancer survivor and an attorney. Her vision has created this haven for all people affected by breast cancer. To Life!s programs and services enable people to become well-educated health care consumers and to partner with their physicians and health care providers. Mara lives in Delmar, NY with her husband and two children.

"Unlike the vast majority of breast cancer patients whom the disease takes by surprise, I had plenty of warning:  both my mother and her sister died of it at age 44. When that other shoe dropped with my own diagnosis at age 37, I launched into action.  I researched diligently, interviewed doctors, visited clinics, talked to friends and strangers.  Even so, I found that information about the disease, treatment options, post-treatment problems and ancillary services such as prostheses and wigs was either inadequate or very difficult to find.  I wondered, how do other women do this? Emotionally overwhelmed, weakened by the treatments, isolated by a disease that can be uncomfortable to talk about, how do those women cope? The answer distressed me.  In addition to fighting the disease itself, breast cancer patients must wage another battle of gathering information from diverse sources, trying to sort it out and make sense of it and hoping to find some kindred spirits to share the burden along the way.

While in treatment and back at work after my surgeries, I began to think about how to fill the enormous gaps in services to women with breast cancer.  I had a good sense of what had to be done.  I just needed to figure out whether I could do it, financially, physically, emotionally and without shortchanging the most important people in my life--my husband and two young children.  I left my dream job with the New York State Attorney General and devoted myself to developing a package of services I knew thousands of women in my community need and deserve.  In October 1998 I launched To Life! It is deeply gratifying to me that To Life! has struck such a responsive chord in our community.  We are beginning to see tangible changes in the quality of health care in the region.  By educating patients and encouraging them to advocate for themselves, To Life! equips cancer patients to act as partners with their healthcare providers.  Area physicians attest that To Life! has made a definite and positive impact on patient care.  Patients are routinely referred to To Life! by doctors and nurses and, most tellingly, breast cancer survivors who have benefited from its services."

--Mara Ginsberg  

Vice-President and Treasurer
Patricia Rodriguez, Esq.

Board of Directors

Ruth Beer, MD
Pamela Carter

Marty DeLaney

Lisa Finkle

Jill Goodman

Lauren Iselin

Michael Kolodziej, MD
Mary Ann McGinn
Leslie Moran

Rosanne O'Meara

Lisa Anne Proskin

Arthur Sunkin, MD

Staff

Executive Director: Laurie Abbott

Director of Education:  Terri Fishman

Boutique Manager:  Kathleen O'Connell

Boutique Fitters:  Marlene Canabush, Marcia Preusser and Helen Warner

Hairstylists:  Linda Trischetta

Education Associate:  Carol Reid

Bookkeeper:  Christine Ozack

Reception:  Diane Rowen and Linda Trischetta