June 5, 2003
Marlene Marks’ Spirit on the Web
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Being treated for cancer is no one's idea of fun. But a new Web site, www.chemochicks.com, is bringing moral support and an irreverent sense of humor to women undergoing chemotherapy. The colorful, breezy site gives female cancer patients a place to gripe, share inspiring stories and purchase products that will make life easier when their hair falls out and their self-esteem is nil.
Chemochicks.com is the brainchild of Jana Rosenblatt, a theatrical costumer and interior designer who has spent the past year fighting ovarian cancer. Much of the Chemo Chick product line comes from her own search for stylish headwraps and for eye makeup that will stay put on a hairless face.
"It's amazing," Rosenblatt said, "how expressionless you are without your eyebrows."
The site also reflects Rosenblatt's feisty spirit. When first facing chemotherapy, she dreamed up a fearless alter ego, Super Chemo Chick, who was tough enough to handle whatever might come. Now this personal coping mechanism helps empower others.
Rosenblatt's founding partners in Five Chicks Unlimited are four local businesswomen who have been touched by cancer. They bring expertise in finance, product research, Web design and customer service to the site. But its guiding spirit is someone who did not live to see its launch: Marlene Adler Marks.
Rosenblatt had redecorated Marks' Malibu home in 2000, shortly before The Jewish Journal's longtime columnist and former managing editor was stricken with lung cancer. When Rosenblatt herself fell ill in June 2002, a visibly ailing Marks came to call. Marks' courage in the face of her own mortality inspired Rosenblatt to battle back with similar grit. Two months after Marks' death last September, the idea for chemochicks.com was hatched.
Another major morale boost came from Rosenblatt's synagogue, Or Ami of Calabasas. Though she was relatively new to Southern California, members showered her with food baskets and friendly visits. Several, in fact, have joined the Chemo Chick team.
"I didn't realize I was so much a part of any community, let alone a Jewish community," Rosenblatt marveled.
Which shows that even a cancer diagnosis can lead to good things. "I like the person I am now better than the person I was before I got sick," Rosenblatt said.
