About A Brush With Cancer; 10 Years of Sharing, Connecting and Healing
When Jenna Benn Shersher was diagnosed with Grey Zone Lymphoma at the age of 29, she was not sure if she would live to see another birthday. As a young adult facing a rare type of cancer, she started writing about her journey in a brutally honest and vulnerable way in hopes to connect with others also undergoing similar experiences. Midway through treatment, Jenna put out a call to action asking for people to join her on the virtual dance floor doing Chubby Checker’s dance, ‘The Twist.’ Within a few days, thousands of people submitted videos of themselves ‘twisting out cancer.’
Jenna was determined to give back to the community that kept her afloat during her treatment. Twist Out Cancer was born: a space for individuals touched by cancer to share, connect, and heal together. Over 200,000 people have participated in Twist Out Cancer’s community-wide programs that use creative arts as a way of healing, including Brushes With Cancer. This program pairs cancer previvors, survivors, and caregivers with artists to help share their stories.
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Author Bio:
Jenna Benn Shersher is a 40-year-old cancer survivor, civil rights advocate, world traveler, and tiny twister who dreams big. In December 2010, Jenna was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called Grey Zone Lymphoma, which at the time, affected fewer than 200 people.
Instead of surrendering to cancer, she was determined to find meaning in her suffering. In the course of her fight, Jenna figured out creative ways to leverage social media to process her experience, and in turn create a community that became invested in her fight. Within a year, Jenna battled cancer and founded the nonprofit organization, Twist Out Cancer.
Today, Jenna is the CEO of Twist Out Cancer, which is an international non-profit charitable organization that provides psychosocial support to individuals touched by cancer through creative arts programming. The organization was founded on the principle that when you share, the world opens up. What started in 2012 as a small art exhibition in Chicago for 20 Inspirations and Artists has now become an international program that has touched over 146,000 people around the world.
Jenna’s story was selected as a top ten best read by Mashable and has been featured in Forbes, CNN, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Lancet Haematology, and the Wall Street Journal. Jenna is a mentor angel with Imerman Angels, and was an Honored Hero and advocate for Team in Training and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She was recognized as a Health Hero by Philadelphia Magazine and a Social Innovations finalist in entrepreneurship by the Social Innovations Journal. She is an ROI fellow with the Schusterman Foundation and serves on the board of the Anti-Defamation League.
Jenna received her Bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and her Masters in Social Enterprise and Administration from Columbia University. She resides in Bryn Mawr, Pa. with her husband Dr. David Shersher and their daughters Noa Pearl and Lilou Ruth, who are both miracles.