Dr. Shani Paluch-Shimon, the Director of our Breast Oncology Unit and the Talya Center for Young Women with Breast Cancer who also is member of the international committee for developing guidelines for breast cancer treatment for young women with breast cancer and for women with metastatic breast cancer was recently interviewed in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Dr. Paluch-Shimon shared, “I feel very privileged that women come to me and choose that I will accompany them. I am in awe of them. I believe that being a woman helps me better understand the challenges women face. I always try to pay attention to the sensitive issues, the complexity, how the disease affects their self-image and femininity and I especially try to sense when the illness begins to “manage” the patient so that I can try and provide them with the appropriate assistance. In addition, my mother died of breast cancer and I have no doubt that this affects the way I relate to patients and their family members. I know what it’s like to be on the other side…It’s a privilege to be part of a team that tries to empower women who are going through such a turbulent time…I set for myself a goal when I took the job at Shaare Zedek Medical Center to change the way people talk about cancer. I think calling it a “war on cancer” hurts patients because in a war there are winners and losers. It’s not that way with cancer. If the cancer returns for a patient does that mean that they did not fight enough or that they gave up? Obviously not! Patients struggle heroically and bravely. These women are on a challenging journey, not on a battlefield. I think the disease coping process should be called a journey that the patient goes through with her family and caregivers.”

Please read the interview (in Hebrew) for additional details. https://www.kolhair.co.il/health/109613/