To promote breast cancer awareness, the Jewish Community Center’s Sharsheret program will hold “Pink Out at the J on Oct. 28. The event is Sharsheret’s annual group exercise “marathon” and community-building event.

Sharsheret exists to help women (and men) control their journeys through information and resources about breast and ovarian cancer. Breast and ovarian cancer is a hereditary concern for Jewish women and men; one in 40 Ashkenazi Jews, women and men, carry the BRCA gene mutation—nearly 10 times the rate of the general population, according to the CDC.

Women who carry the mutation have up to an 80 percent risk of developing breast cancer and a 45 percent risk of developing ovarian cancer, Sharsheret reports. Men can also carry and pass these gene mutations on to their family, and also have increased cancer risks. 

Sharsheret works to help patients, families and caregivers at every stage of a cancer journey — before diagnosis and  during and after treatment.

The Oct. 28 event will offer a morning of awareness and fitness starting at 8 a.m. at the J’s Staenberg Family Complex, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. 

Participants can take part in one or several exercise classes of varying intensity levels, and speak to health and wellness experts about hereditary cancer risks, optimal nutrition, clean skincare and other topics. Many participants in past years have worn pink workout gear. 

The event is free and open to the public. Men are also encouraged to attend. 

Advance registration is not required, but some classes have limited space, so early arrival is recommended. 

The classes planned are:

• 8 a.m.: Extreme conditioning, cycle and yoga

• 9 a.m.: Zumba, cycle and T’ai Chi

• 10:30 a.m.: Extreme conditioning, cycle and Forever Fit

• 11:45a.m.: Zumba, 40/20 cycle/pliability and chair yoga

For more information about the event or about Sharsheret’s resources, contact Debbi Braunstein at 314-442-3266. 

Sharsheret Supports is a collaborative project of Nishmah, which is also a program of the J.