Hi Maria,

Thanks for your warm welcome!  I feel honored to be here.  I wrote my book Mourning Has Broken to chronicle the journey I took through two bouts of breast cancer, the first in 1996 when I was 43.  After I completed treatment for my recurrence in 2003 I decided to write and publish my story to provide hope to others who are going through similar struggles.  In the book I address the value of support groups, despite the pain I experienced as I attended the funeral of one of our members on 9-11-01!  In addition, I try to capture what it was like to work full-time as a patent attorney and manager at Genentech (maker of Herceptin) while undergoing treatment and raising three boys.  No easy task, but like my Dad, I have a "can-do" spirit that helps me get through the bumps of life.  There's my book in a nutshell.  I read Cancer Vixen with great interest since Marisa and I were the same age, at the same stage, and treated the same way when we were diagnosed.  I look forward to seeing what further options will be offered to breast cancer survivors as time passes.  It is exciting to see so many survivors living so long these days.  Take care, Jan (www.janhasak.com)