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 Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit was founded by eight local women whose lives had been touched by cancer. They knew firsthand how they and their families were impacted by the disease and envisioned a place where men, women and children with all types of cancer, along with their families, could come together for social and emotional support. Their experiences led to the formation of Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit.
Bernice Gadon, a clinical social worker with cancer, contacted Geri Lester and Sherry Medsker who also battled cancer. Maureen Martinez, an oncology nurse specialist, spoke to her friend, Marcia Gershenson who was involved in a cancer support group because her husband, now deceased, had Hodgkin’s Disease. She felt the need for help and recognized that the family members and friends of people living with cancer needed support too. Jacqueline Grekin, Ph.D, was a clinical psychologist with the belief that the mind/body approach to disease can improve the quality of life for those living with it. Ina Kadish was a therapist with cancer and Carol Silverman was touched by cancer as well.
In March, 1993, the women began meeting around their own kitchen tables to talk about their experiences. Inspired by the dream of Detroit’s own Gilda Radner, who passed away in 1989 after more than two years of fighting ovarian cancer, Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit was born. The Club, offering hope, humor and strength to lives touched by cancer, officially opened in 1998.
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