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ALUMNI UPDATESMore Than a SurvivorBy Rammy Park ’04 “I would like to be a local survivor, please.” Six weeks after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in January 2002, Dina Kotkin Feivelson ’91 was on the phone saying these words, volunteering with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. A year-and-a-half later, she was traveling the country, giving talks as a Myeloma Mentor, and she’s still at it. Even as she searched for a bone marrow match of her own, Feivelson organized a blood and bone marrow drive with Columbia Hillel. Since then, more than 200 people have registered in her name, while countless others continue to provide funding.
Meeting Feivelson, it’s hard to tell that she suffers from one of the world’s most rare — and lethal — cancers. Multiple myeloma is difficult to treat; the five-year success rate is only 30 percent, meaning seven of every 10 people who have the disease do not survive past five years. Feivelson’s case is particularly problematic because she has not responded well to many of the available drugs and procedures. Even so, she has vibrant energy and wit; she laughs at herself and, at times, her situation. Case in point: Feivelson notes that the illness usually affects elderly male African-Americans. Then she points to her young female Jewish self and smiles sarcastically. Feivelson, who received the 2005 Columbia College Women Alumna Achievement Award on March 30, volunteers with Team-In-Training, a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society program. Teams train for and participate in endurance sports to raise money to research blood cancers: leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and others. Being a local survivor, but unable to physically train for a marathon, Feivelson joins the team as an “honored patient,” someone who inspires teammates and gives a face to their cause. Emily Young, campaign director for Team-In-Training, calls Feivelson “an exemplary volunteer … one who has helped us to achieve a deeper connection with our participants.” But Feivelson says she’s more moved by volunteers who do not have cancer. “They’re running 26.2 miles, they’re raising $3,900 and they don’t have to? That’s inspiring.” In May 2003, Feivelson helped charter the Myeloma Mentor program within the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. As a mentor, she travels the country speaking to support groups, professors and doctors. She helps people cope with myeloma by talking about her experiences and offering advice. She enthusiastically recounts her first time being interviewed on television on the show Healthwise in North Carolina; the memory brings an enormous smile to her face. Feivelson hopes to continue advocating with more television and speaking appearances.
She even talks to pharmaceutical companies because she believes that it’s essential to teach them to humanize cancer treatment. “They only know the drugs,” Feivelson says. “They don’t know the patient who has to deal with them and what they do to the patient’s quality of life. They need to know.” Feivelson’s Columbia education prepared her well for this kind of work. After earning a B.A. in English and comparative literature, she earned a master’s in public health in population and family health (’97 PH) and a master’s in philosophy in sociomedical sciences (’02 GSAS). While juggling her hectic volunteer schedule, she is pursuing a Ph.D. in sociomedical sciences at GSAS. She initially wanted to study reproductive medicine advocacy and policy, but after discovering she was ill, she shifted her focus to oncology, the study of cancer. After finishing her Ph.D., Feivelson plans to work in medical ethics while increasing her cancer advocacy work. She wants to travel and speak more, and credits her boundless energy to her husband of nine years, Neal Feivelson ’91E. “He takes care of everything so I don’t have to,” she says. “He’s incredible.” Feivelson was awarded CCW’s highest honor because she views her illness as an opportunity to advocate for others rather than a setback. She considers herself a resource not only to raise money for cancer but also to help others who are going through the same ordeal. And she never seems to tire of it. Before accepting her CCW award, Feivelson circulated a clipboard asking attendees to sign up for the bone marrow registry. When asked about a link to include in case College alumni were interested in registering to be donors (www.marrow.org), she replied, “I wonder if we could schedule a drive in time so that it can be announced in the article?” While Feivelson’s schedule didn’t allow for that, her endless enthusiasm will undoubtedly inspire others to support her cause. Rammy Park ’04 is a freelance writer who works in television news at NY1.
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