An Indomitable Spirit

Ellen Hermanson was a courageous and articulate advocate in the fight against breast cancer. Her personal battle began in February 1989 when she was diagnosed while nursing her six-month-old daughter. Ellen faced her disease head on, undergoing surgery and aggressive chemotherapy to combat it.

Refusing to succumb to self-pity or despair, Ellen became an activist and advocate in her fight against breast cancer. As a journalist, she utilized her exceptional writing skills to raise awareness about the needs of breast cancer survivors, educate readers on the importance of being informed, and highlight the challenges of living with the disease. Her remarkable achievements reflect her extraordinary inner strength and selfless generosity.

Ellen became an active member of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), where she later served on the board and edited its quarterly newsletter, The Networker. Seeking spiritual support from her heritage, she found a lack of resources and instead co-founded the Jewish Healing Center, serving as its founding executive director and the first editor of its newsletter, The Outstretched Arm.

In the spring of 1992, Ellen was appointed the first executive director of the Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert, where she coordinated their annual October symposium, uniting doctors and lawyers to address pressing health law and policy issues affecting cancer patients. That fall, she was diagnosed with a recurrence of the disease in her bones. Despite undergoing chemotherapy, which she would continue for the rest of her life, her condition worsened. Among her many projects was editing the 1993 Annual Report of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. In November 1994, Ellen delivered a poignant speech titled “One Patient’s Pain” at the NCCS annual conference. It was at this conference that Justice Sandra Day O’Connor spoke about her own experience with breast cancer.

Ellen lost her hard-fought battle with breast cancer on April 11, 1995, at age 42. At the time of her passing, she was working on an article exploring the potential of the Internet as a source of information and support for patients and their families. Ellen left behind a legacy of dignity, courage, determination, grace, and love for all who knew her.

To honor her memory, The Ellen Hermanson Foundation was established to continue the important work she began.