Deborah Rosenberg, LCSW – known as Debbie – is a graduate of UC Berkeley, earning her Master’s Degree in Social Work.  Her initial interest in oncology developed while working at Santa Clara County Hospital, when cancer treatment was in its infancy.  At that time, only radiation (with cobalt) and surgery were done to treat cancer.  Chemotherapy was non-existent.  

By the time she started working at Peninsula Hospital, she had lost both her parents to cancer – her mother to ovarian cancer and her father to an untreatable glioblastoma.  Without any kind of support group available, Debbie’s mother had no one to talk to during her illness, nor did Debbie to discuss her grief.  The hospital social worker seemed unable to deal with the challenges of supporting the family members of patients with a cancer diagnosis.

The lack of available support for family members and patients diagnosed with cancer motivated Debbie.  When she started working at Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame, support groups were already underway.  She quickly fell into working with them, ensuring that those dealing with cancer could talk about it in a safe environment.  At that time, no other cancer support groups existed in the area.  The support groups included a general cancer support group (for anyone with a cancer diagnosis), breast cancer diagnosis-specific support group, and a family support group – supporting anyone dealing with a cancer diagnosis: caregivers, family members or friends.

In 1991, she became the facilitator of the patient and family cancer support group at the Palo Alto Medical Facility, previously facilitated by a PAMF Social Worker.  It was the only cancer support group in the area that included both patients and family members, and available to anyone in the community. She served as its facilitator until it was recently discontinued.

A few years later, she was asked to spearhead, (and still leads), a support group for women with metastatic breast cancer at the Community Breast Health Project, which later became Breast Cancer Connections (BCC) and is now known as Bay Area Cancer Connections, located in Palo Alto.

The metastatic breast cancer group meets at Bay Area Cancer Connections and more information about the group can be found at http://bcconnections.org/facing-cancer/living-with-cancer/.

For more information about the Mid-Peninsula Cancer Support Group, please contact Debbie Rosenberg at 650 494-1768. or dnrosenb@sbcglobal.net.