The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Tinas Wish

Still Time to Join Tina’s Wish Event Honoring Bill Clinton

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And Help Fund Research for Early Detection and Protection of Ovarian Cancer

By Grace Bennett

Tina Brozman
Tina Brozman
Tina Brozman was my age, 54, in June 2007 when she passed away, just two short years after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Tina was the former chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, an outstanding lawyer, law partner and had a profound influence on the lives of those she mentored. But most importantly she was a beloved wife and mother who was the center of her family.

Tina and her husband Andrew lived and raised their children in Chappaqua and were heavily involved in the community. During the last few months of her life, Tina laid the groundwork for Tina’s Wish, the only nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to funding research for the early detection and prevention of ovarian cancer.

With all the attention surrounding Angelina Jolie’s brave decision to undergo surgery to remove her ovaries, now is a great time to shine light on the staggering statistics about ovarian cancer and the desperate need for an early detection screen. 61% of ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease when the 5-year survival rate is only 27%. Those diagnosed in Stage I/II have a 5-year survival rate of 92%. Today, there are no early detection tests available for ovarian cancer. Diagnostic tools for early detection are critical to changing the global impact of this disease and Tina’s Wish is looking to solve this on a local, national, and global stage.

Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
On Tuesday, April 14th, Tina’s Wish will present fellow Westchester/Chappaqua resident President Bill Clinton with the inaugural Tina’s Wish Global Women’s Health Award at a reception at The Waldorf Astoria. President Clinton is the ideal first recipient as both Tina’s Wish and the Clinton Foundation were founded on the principle that collaboration is the key to making change. The award was created to honor those individuals whose contributions to the betterment of women’s health have made a great impact.

After leaving the White House, President Clinton established the Clinton Foundation with the mission to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote health and wellness, and protect the environment.

I’ll be covering the event to help raise awareness. I hope you can join me on April 14th for a night that will celebrate those who support the betterment of women’s health around the world. Award reception tickets, VIP tickets and sponsorship opportunities are still available, and all proceeds from the evening will benefit Tina’s Wish. For more information and purchase tickets, visit www.tinabrozmanfoundation.org/globalhealth/ or contact Beverly Wolfer, Executive Director, bwolfer@tinaswish.org, 212.880.5757.

Tina Brozman collage

“Tina’s Wish” Raises Over $920,000 for Ovarian Cancer Research

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The Brozman family (L-R): Amanda, Nick, Andrew and Alix
The Brozman family (L-R): Amanda, Nick, Andrew and Alix

The legal and financial communities raised more than $920,000 for The Honorable Tina Brozman Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research (Tina’s Wish) at the charitable organization’s annual benefit dinner on Sept. 23 at Cipriani. The dinner honored the memory of former Bankruptcy Court Chief Judge and co-leader of Bingham McCutchen LLP’s Financial Restructuring Group Tina Brozman and marked the 5th year of raising funds for the early detection and prevention of ovarian cancer.

Since its inception, Tina’s Wish has made available more than $4.2 million toward ovarian cancer research grants. “Tina’s Wish is true to Tina’s character and desire to make a difference,” said Michael Reilly, co-head of Bingham’s Financial Restructuring Group and recipient of this year’s Tina Brozman Mentoring Award. “Tina strongly believed in the importance of investing in early-detection research for ovarian cancer as well as investing in the next generation to carry the mission forward. Tina led by example and inspired us all to give back. She’d be proud of the Foundation’s good work.”

Tina’s Wish was founded after Brozman died in June 2007 at the age of 54 following a two-year battle with ovarian cancer. She left behind her husband, Andrew; three children, Nicholas, Alix and Wallis; and a distinguished legal career. The charity is dedicated to funding groundbreaking research for the early detection and prevention of ovarian cancer. The money raised by Tina’s Wish funds grants given to five world-class research institutions: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Ovarian Cancer Research Center and Yale School of Medicine/Yale Cancer Center, who are all part of the The Tina Brozman Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium.

Remembering Tina Brozman
Remembering Tina Brozman

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2013 in the United States, approximately 22,000 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer and roughly 14,000 women will die from ovarian cancer. A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is 1 in 72, while her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is 1 in 100, according to the society. In addition, 61 percent of all ovarian cancer cases are detected in stage III or stage IV, when the five-year survival rate is less than 30 percent.

Brozman became the youngest judge on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, eventually becoming its chief judge. She issued more than 150 decisions while on the bench, including in the landmark Maxwell Communications Corporation bankruptcy case, which established a protocol that became the template for all complex multijurisdictional bankruptcies to follow.

In 2000, she retired from the bench. During her tenure, she was named one of the 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America by the National Law Journal. In May 2007, the UJA-Federation of New York’s Bankruptcy and Reorganization Group unanimously selected Brozman as the first recipient of the Professor Lawrence P. King Award for her contributions to the bankruptcy field.

For more information, visit www.tinabrozmanfoundation.org.