Horwitz was expecting her first child, and the story of a pregnant, young breast cancer survivor was ripe for telling to the world. With the exposure on Today, she was not particularly surprised that people might want the book, but she was stunned by the response her pregnancy received. The hope it gave women was powerful. After her daughter was born in January 2007, Mrs. Horwitz decided it was time to establish her own nonprofit organization. She founded Myself: Together Again as a public charity to educate and empower women through the reconstruction process. She has spent the last several years “pushing the book” so that women will understand what their bodies will go through during reconstruction because, as she says, “At the end of the day, all the patient cares about is having the pictures” to see and understand what lies ahead. By 2011, such progress had been made in the field of breast reconstruction that Mrs. Horwitz decided her organization needed an updated book. She had been contacted by a breast cancer patient, Sherri Burgess, who had offered to help her because the original book was such an inspiration as she prepared for her own reconstruction. Mrs. Burgess was willing to be the subject of the second Myself: Together Again project, entitled Sherri’s Story with updated material, which was released in 2012. In the fall of 2013, Mrs. Horwitz’s website, www.myselftogetheragain.org, went through a redesign to include electronic versions of the books. Even though she knows the organization will ultimately lose money by featuring e-books as opposed to selling hard copies, she wanted to make the leap to continue with her mission to help other women. Mrs. Horwitz gives credit to The Steward School for putting her on the path to tell her story. She draws on her experiences in Paul Cramer’s Public Speaking class all the time when she gives speeches throughout the country. She even says, “Paul Cramer is an important part of who I am today…because he helped me find my voice, and I learned to deliver my message.” Stewardship is a big part of Mrs. Horwitz’s story, as she continues to give hope and change lives every day. Photos: (top) Debbie Horwitz’s first book, Myself: Together Again; her foundation’s second book, Sherri’s Story; (bottom) Debbie Horwitz
to visit Mrs. Horwitz’s website
Crossroads
Fall/Winter 2013
7