When Judith Kleinstein retired in 2004, she drew on the skills and interests she had cultivated during 31 years as a Portland teacher to craft a rewarding and active life. Her volunteer work grounded her during the retirement transition.
In 2012, Judith was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. She calls her survival rare, with only 15% surviving disease-free. Eight years after her initial diagnosis, she had her first ovarian cancer recurrence and has had several more since then. Also, in 2021, she was diagnosed with a second primary cancer, oral cancer, and had 15% of her tongue removed. However, she feels everything becomes ‘her new normal,’ and she goes on from there.
That experience inspired her to become a FORCE Research Advocate volunteer. In this role, she reviewed materials prepared for patients, including providing guidance and feedback for the Knight Cancer Institute at the Oregon Health and Science University for their “Get Fit” study patient consent form. She worked with researchers at Harvard University to review their ovarian cancer treatment grant proposal, providing essential feedback and leading to the project being funded. Currently, Judith is serving on the patient advocate board to provide continual support in their efforts to provide new treatment options to people diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
In addition, she attended the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting to hear from researchers about their current studies, treatment and prevention approvals and those with promising results and worked with the research team at The Ohio State University College of Medicine to assist them with their NIH (National Institutes of Health) grant proposal. The FORCE community applauds Judith’s time, expertise and dedication to working across the various phases of research.
Twenty years after formally retiring, Judith is busier and more involved in the community than ever before. Her chaplaincy, substitute teaching and various public service volunteer work allow her to gently touch the lives of others and know that she is bettering her world.