Our Team
Meet our Board of Directors
Amanda Grilli
Amanda is a licensed Physical Therapist, Certified Lymphedema Therapist, and Cancer Coach, specialized in breast cancer rehabilitation. Through personal and clinical experience, Amanda has seen first-hand the negative impact that breast cancer and its associated side effects have on one’s quality of life, daily function, and overall well-being. As a breast cancer rehabilitation therapist, she has helped hundreds of women to overcome debilitating cancer-related side effects, such as pain, limited mobility, lymphedema, fatigue, and neurological impairments. She has witnessed the joy and gratitude on her patients' faces as they regain their strength, independence, and overall physical and mental well-being.
However, over the years, she has unfortunately also witnessed how challenging it can be for those affected by breast cancer to access cancer support services, including breast cancer rehabilitation. Numerous people never receive the care needed to truly recover from breast cancer treatments, because of a lack of insurance coverage or financial means. But why should one’s ability to pay or socioeconomic status dictate whether they should be able to live well beyond breast cancer? Everyone should have the opportunity to improve their quality of life, during, and beyond cancer.
Disheartened by this reality and driven by the belief that everyone deserves equal access to cancer care, Amanda founded Well Beyond Breast Cancer with the hopes of making breast cancer rehabilitation accessible to everyone.
Founder & Executive Director
Shira Blumenthal
Shira was diagnosed with the BRCA1 gene mutation when she was 25 years old and spent a long time keeping her diagnosis to herself, all while dealing with the stressors of preventive care. In 2022, she made the brave decision of undergoing a prophylactic nipple-sparing double mastectomy with an immediate DIEP reconstruction. Following her surgeries, she was left with significant side effects and felt completely hopeless regarding her recovery. That was until she started breast cancer rehabilitation with a specialized physical therapist. With breast cancer rehabilitation, she was able to get control back and become a stronger 2.0 version of herself.
Today, as a previvor, she utilizes her social platforms to share her journey, and encourage others to advocate for themselves and take charge of their health.
At Well Beyond Breast Cancer, Shira leads our Community Chats in NYC. Community Chats are in-person gatherings that provide a safe and supportive space where individuals can exchange experiences, share valuable knowledge, and foster connections with fellow breast cancer survivors, thrivers, previvors, and metavivors.
Board Member
Sheri Israel
Sheri is a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed with Stage 2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma in December 2020, shortly after learning she has the BRCA1 gene mutation. She has undergone two rounds of fertility preservation, eight rounds of chemotherapy, then a total double mastectomy with lymph node dissection followed by twenty-five rounds of radiation.
Prior to diagnosis, she was extremely active, even teaching a virtual boot camp during the pandemic — post-surgery, with a slew of mobility issues, she felt helpless and defeated until she found a specialized Physical Therapist. She understands first-hand how challenging post-surgery and beyond is to navigate with little to no resources or broader awareness around the challenges that come with survivorship. Self advocacy and community is everything to Sheri and she is honored to be on the board of Well Beyond Breast Cancer.
Sheri pours her heart into her day job planning weddings and events, along with cherishing time spent with friends and family and her littlest loves; her niece and nephew. She is often traveling the globe and if not, she is sure to be riding her Peloton at dawn. She feels blessed to be able to share her story and give back to the community with hopes to give light and comfort to those when they need it most and at any point in their journey.
Board Member
Hadley Tamburo
Hadley is Director of Strategy & Business Operations for eBay's International Markets. Prior to eBay, Hadley served as Director of Corporate Strategy and M&A at Zalando, and held similar roles while at Amazon Web Services (AWS) in New York. She started her career at Barclays in Equity Research, and now lives in Geneva, Switzerland with her family.
On a personal note, Hadley has witnessed the financial burden that comes with cancer treatment first-hand, and is personally committed to making the path to recovery more affordable for women.
Board Member - Treasurer
Jersey Harte
Dr. Jersey Harte is a queer, sober, soup-maker, swimmer, feral-cat-carer, certified in oral history, and co-founder of The Dear Rosa Project, a community storytelling project that seeks to document women’s journeys from silence, to safety, to self-expression. She is also the co-founder of The Salon, the first transitional home in the world for women living with HIV/AIDS who have experienced domestic violence.
Dr. Harte is also the Director of Harte Grants, a grant writing firm that champions the work of female-identifying leaders. To date, Harte Grants has helped raise over $25 million in grant funding.
As someone who had a prophylactic mastectomy at 30 because of a BRCA1 gene mutation, Jersey is honored to be a part of Well Beyond Breast Cancer and is dedicated to improving the quality of women's lives after breast surgery through information, community, and healing.
Board Member
Meet our Advisors
Berfin Mahmut
Berfin is a licensed Physical Therapist, Certified Lymphedema Therapist, and Cancer Exercise Specialist who specializes in cancer rehabilitation. Early in her career, Berfin recognized the limited number of lymphedema therapists available for patients, and this inspired her to pursue her lymphedema certification.
As breast cancer treatment is the most common cause of lymphedema in the United States, she started working with many patients who were affected by breast cancer and its treatments. She recognized that breast cancer patients experience many ongoing side effects and require consistent care. Her passion for helping this population and the high demand for cancer rehabilitation services inspired her to pursue a board certification in oncology physical therapy.
Berfin has helped many breast cancer patients and has seen firsthand how limited access to rehabilitation services can hinder recovery and prevent patients from returning to their pre-treatment lifestyles. That's why she joined the Well Beyond Breast Cancer team – to ensure that all breast cancer patients have access to the care they need.
Olivia Ripa
Olivia is a licensed Physical Therapist and Certified Lymphedema Therapist who specializes in cancer rehabilitation and lymphedema. She is very passionate about helping people diagnosed with breast cancer to improve their function after cancer treatments and get back to their favourite activities.
Through years of working in cancer care, she has seen firsthand how difficult it can be for women to access essential breast cancer care, including breast cancer rehabilitation. Olivia joined Well Beyond Breast Cancer with a deep commitment to ensuring that all women have access to the care needed to help them recover from breast cancer treatments. She is devoted to advocate for improved accessibility for all those affected by breast cancer.
Rori Zura
Rori is a Certified Personal Trainer, Cancer Exercise Specialist, and triple-negative breast cancer survivor. Diagnosed at the age of 33, Rori's journey with breast cancer began after years of discovering lumps and navigating the challenges of preventive care, compounded by a significant family history of cancer. Despite facing obstacles like the financial burden of preventive mastectomy, Rori remained resilient and proactive in her health journey.
Her experience with breast cancer during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic only strengthened her resolve. She turned to fitness as a therapeutic tool, believing in its power to help individuals regain strength and control during and after treatment. Fitness became not just a method of recovery but a mission.
Rori became a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and a Cancer Exercise Specialist with the Cancer Exercise Training Institute. Now, she’s dedicated to empowering others to move, heal, and reclaim their lives through personalized fitness, particularly those affected by breast cancer.
Driven by her passion to bridge the gap between fitness and medical care, Rori advocates for survivors to have a voice in their treatment and recovery. She is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of their diagnosis, has the opportunity to improve their quality of life.