Thursday, May 10th, 2007 | The Islander News | Page 17

The Spiritual Side

By Orlando Rodriguez

After a decade, Jane Torres is stepping down as president of the Florida Breast Cancer Coalition Foundation.

"I feel confident this is the right time," the Key Biscayne resident explains of her decision to yield leadership of the operating arm of the nonprofit organization which she helped establish in the emotionally charged wake of her 1994 breast cancer diagnosis.

Torres will remain active with the Florida Breast CAncer Coalition, but said she wants to give someone else a shot at the presidency.

"Organizations need changes in leadership to thrive and remain energetic," she said.

Torres said she conceived of the advocacy group nine months into her remission from cancer. In November 1995, backed by a "wonderful support system" comprised of five South Florida women, she spearheaded the formation of a nonprofit agency committed to eradicating breast cancer through advocacy and research.

Shortly thereafter, Torres enrolled in Project LEAD, the National Breast Cancer Coalition's innovative training program for breast cancer activists. The training not only prepared Torres for a leadership role but also empowered her to cope with her recovery from the disease.

"We can't control what happens to us, but we can control what happens afterward," she said. "I guess that's the way I deal with things in general - by trying to make something good come of whatever challenges I am faced with. That is something that gave me focus, gave me hope, and it made me energized in terms of not just sitting back and saying 'woe is me' but doing something about it."

The coalition's greatest weapon in the fight against cancer, Torres said, is the End Breast Cancer License Plate.

Inspired by the Florida Panther specialty plate that raises money for Florida panther conservation efforts, the Coalition thought of a similar concept to benefit breast cancer research.

Because of a grassroots effort in which volunteers collected 15,000 signatures, Florida lawmakers approved the plate in April 2002.

The tag officially went on sale on August 1, 2002.

Torres said the $25 fee for the End Breast Cancer license plate goes directly to FBCF for funding of breast cancer research and education in Florida.

"It's a very simple, yet important, way that anyone can contribute to ending the breast cancer epidemic." Torres said.

With proceeds from the sale of the specialty plate, the Foundation funds grants to organizations in the state of Florida following recommendations by the Education Committee. The grant theme is education that empowers women to play an active role in their breast health with particular interest in programs that target individuals with language and cultural barriers; individuals who live in under served areas; and interventions that engage health care professionals.

Grant money, for example, has been used to fund the publication of educational material in Creole, Torres noted, as a way to empower women from Haitian communities to take control of their breast health.

Additionally, the coalition has established the Jane Torres Scholarship Fund, giving breast cancer activists a shot to participate in Project LEAD.

For all her hard work and dedication, Torres will be honored by her peers at a board meeting on May 9th.

Dr. Robert DerHagopian, chairman of the Scientific Committee, characterizes Torres as a one-woman army who works relentlessly to raise awareness of breast cancer issues around the state.

"Jane is a breast cancer survivor and by her own experience, she felt like she wanted to give something back to the community and so she single handedly founded the FBCC. She basically started the organization out of her office with the help of a small cadre of volunteers," explained DerHagopian, a South Miami based oncologic surgeon specializing in diseases of the breast.

DerHagopian, moreover, praised Torres' ability to rally support for the Coalition's advocacy efforts.

"I dare to say no one could have gotten this off the ground other than an advocate like Jane, who through her connections and perseverance was instrumental in securing a lobbyist to go to Tallahassee and get the legislature to approve the sale of license tags," he said. "She's a dynamo. Without Jane, this Coalition would never have been started. She's a truly outstanding individual."

With her term expiring June 31, Torres is currently making plans to use her spare time to address local environmental concerns.

Torres' inspiration for going green is her daughter Leigh, a marine ecology doctoral candidate who studies dolphins in Florida Bay through Duke University. Torres said her daughter played a pivotal role in helping the North Carolina school's marine lab earn a clean-marina designation.

Locally, Torres said she wants to tackle "Sustainability issues on Key Biscayne," with plans to champion the installation of recycling bins around the island.

"I'm very concerned about the future of the planet," said Torres. "Looking at the ocean, I sometimes think about the possibility that in the next 30 years we might be underwater. I also think about plastic choking turtles, or killing dolphins and manatees."

In addition to her work with FBCF, Torres is president of Catalyst International, Inc., a consulting company specializing in human resource developments and cross cultural communication. She is also a marriage and family therapist in private practice in Miami.