Mara Ginsberg - HER LIFE Magazine

She left her job with the New York State AttorneyGeneral’s office and entirely devoted her energies tocreating an organization that she knew could benefitcountless women in her community.That attention to looking and feeling normal and at herbest, something many take for granted, made the demands ofher job as an appellate litigator at the time less stressful. “I feltnormal. I didn’t worry about my hair,” she said.Mara continued with her treatment and her healthimproved. Although she enjoyed the intellectual stimulationthat came with her job, inside she felt that something wasmissing. “When I was diagnosed with breast cancer and thenwent through my treatments, I realized that, while there weremany options available for women in bigger cities like NewYork, the resources in Albany and the surrounding areas werevery limited, which was very frustrating for me,” said Mara.Faced with the lack of information about the disease,treatment options, and post-surgical needs such as wigs andprostheses, Mara set out to create a composite of services thatwould benefit others going through this life crisis. She lefther job with the New York State Attorney General’s office andentirely devoted her energies to creating an organization thatshe knew could benefit countless women in her community.As such, in 1998, To Life! was born, inspired by the desireto equip patients to become partners with their healthcare providers,which in turn has created a positive impact on patientcare. “I want to educate cancer patients and encourage them toremain their own best advocates for their health,” emphasizedMara. “All of our services are free of charge, and the only thingsthat we do charge for are the products in our boutique—theAbracadabra Boutique. We have certified fitters who work withpatients in finding wigs and prostheses. While we do workwith insurance carriers, we never turn anyone away for lack ofinsurance. We are here to help. That is our mission. We providea much-needed service.”Mara stressed that when someone receives a diagnosis ofcancer, it’s okay to ask questions of the doctors. “We encouragepatients to be partners with their physicians; to realize theyhave options,” said Mara. “We want patients to do their duediligence in terms of the research of treatment options and todiscuss these with their doctor. It’s so important to be comfortablewith the course of treatment you choose. While we don’tgive medical advice, we do guide the patients in the dialogueswith their physicians.”Even though Mara returned to her legal profession in2001, redirecting her skills into state service and now theprivate sector, she still maintains a steady pulse on To Life!,serving as its President, remaining actively involved. “We havethree full-time staff members and four part-time people,” saidMara, referring to their offices and boutique located at 410Kenwood Avenue in Delmar, with a satellite office in SaratogaSprings at 110 Spring Street.Since its humble beginnings, To Life! has expanded toten counties, which include Albany, Schenectady, Saratogaand Troy, and Mara will not stop there. She hopes to continuallyexpand her mission to reach countless women who cantruly benefit from these services. To Life! provides educationseminars, one-on-one mentoring, health and wellness workshops,breast health and self-examination education, and aunique brand of support groups where women share, laugh andlearn ways of dealing with cancer and beyond. “We’ve helpedthousands of women,” she noted. “We want to help many, manymore.”Overseeing her non-profit is truly a labor of love, yet it isnot one that can stand on its own without the help and supportfrom continued donations. Mara eagerly looks forward to the7th Annual Pink Ball, a fundraiser scheduled for November 4that the Hall of Springs in Saratoga. “This is an elegant sit-downdinner and dance complete with a live band,” she said.Even while meeting the demands of being President ofTo Life!, Mara still remains committed to her professionalendeavors as a member of The Hinman Straub law firm. Sheworks with the firm’s government relations department, withan emphasis on both legislative and legal focuses on education,technology and health care, which includes Medicaid Compliance.Mara brings over a quarter of a century of experiencein both the government and private sectors of the law. Herprofessional resume is dotted with a host of notable endeavors,having served as Vice President of Government Affairs forAmeriChoice and United Healthcare of New York; as counselfor the NYS office of Cyber Security and Critical InfrastructureCoordination; as Deputy Director and Counsel of NYS Officefor Technology; and as an Assistant Attorney General in theAppeals Bureau.Mara is also the Vice-Chair of a Breast and CervicalCancer Advisory Counsel and is a Consumer Grant Reviewerfor Breast Cancer Research grants that are awarded by the U.S.Department of Defense.On the home front, Mara enjoys time with her supportivehusband, Jeffrey, who is general counsel to the NY StateDormitory Authority. She also enjoys spending time with hertwo children, Martin, 20, and daughter Barbara, 22. Free time isroutinely spent cycling with Jeffrey, taking walks, cross countryskiing, or just relaxing to all kinds of music, especially classicaland folk.“I’m fine now,” she happily noted, with an obvious air ofenthusiasm to bring that same sentiment to all of the womenher organization continues to touch.For more information, visit To Life! on the web atwww.ToLife.org or call their Delmar location at 518-439-5975or the Saratoga location at 518-587-3820.16 HERLIFEnewyork.com