No one had to tell Jessica Sheena that breast cancer is not just an older person's disease. That myth was struck down when the Jericho High School senior's childhood friend from camp recently died from the disease at age 19. In this case, the cancer was detected far too late for effective treatment to be implemented.

Zenia Zaveri, a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, and Port Washington High School graduate, also knows what it is to lose someone close to the disease. Her aunt, diagnosed one year ago, recently died at age 38. Adding to the sorrow was her understanding that the disease is "in our family's genes."

With their own painful experiences proving that in the battle against breast cancer, even teenage lives are on the line, Sheena and Zaveri are now dispersing life-saving information online. They have founded a new cancer organization ¬ Long Island Teens for Breast Cancer Awareness ¬ that is specifically molded for their generation. Its main project has been the establishment and expansion of a teen web site, www.LIteenbreastcancer.org, which contains information on the disease, including crucial statistics, instructions and referrals.

Sheena and Zaveri met through their participation in the Row for a Cure Committee. This organization was formed to organize a fundraising effort centered around the incredible mission of Rick Shalvoy, a 45-year-old East Islip resident who, since last year, has vowed to annually row completely around Long Island and Manhattan until a cure for breast cancer is developed.

It was through their efforts with the committee that the teen coalition and web site was engendered. The key to the web site, explained its two founders, is that, in every way, it is a project made for youth, and developed by youth. The philosophy, explained the founders, is that teenagers, more than members of other age groups, have greater access to computers and are more computer literate. Therefore, they can easily access information from a web page, and be comfortable conveying their thoughts in an online forum.

To provide the correct message for the intended audience, said Sheena, it was important to have people in the same age demographics write the text. "We really wanted to keep this teen-oriented," said Sheena, who said that adults don't always know how best to communicate with teenagers. "We worded it in a way that teens would understand." Even the web site designer who was hired to set up the project, Daniel Pedisich, is a teenager.

A major goal of the coalition that is still being pursued is to set up a chat room where teens who have breast cancer, know someone who has it, or are mourning the loss of a loved one to the disease can relate to one another. Sheena and Zalveri are hoping to find a breast cancer specialist who will appear on a semi-regular basis to answer questions and console affected teens. "Teens communicate using the Internet. By setting up a chat room, kids...can deal with grief in a way that they can feel comfortable with," explained Zalveri.

"We are the next generation that will have to face breast cancer," said Zalveri. "We are the ones who have to take a lead in breast cancer awareness and prevention."

Currently available on the site are instructions on how to and how often to conduct a breast self-examination. This page includes numerous illustrations and diagrams which best demonstrate how to search for lumps. There are statistics on the disease, a message board, a guest book, volunteer information and links to many breast cancer organizations, including 1 in 9, which has worked the closest with the coalition.

To collect donations for construction of the web site, Sheena arranged a charity softball game, held on June 25 on the Jericho High School grounds. The event raised $400. Between her efforts with Row for a Cure and creating a web page, Sheena sacrificed a two-week vacation with her family to Canada. Simply put, she stayed because she wanted to "give it my all."

"What better way to spend a summer than to contribute to breast cancer awareness and raising funds?" said Sheena.

Impressed by both girls' obvious dedication, one of the major backers of Row for a Cure, vice president of Genovese Corporation Lenny S. Genovese, agreed to fund the web site's maintenance costs ¬ $60 a month ¬ for the next year. The Row for a Cure Committee meets at Genovese Corporate Headquarters weekly.

"We do whatever we can to educate and test people," said Genovese,

Free from the busy regimen of school, it was easier to plan and set up the web site over summer than at any other time. How the two girls will manage to keep updating and improving it will be a challenge as their schedules fill and they work from different states. Sheena believes that the longevity of the web site, and the teen coalition, will depend on new recruits who will step in for them when they either can no longer perform the responsibilities alone, or when they become too separated from the next generation of teenagers.

"Hopefully, they'll be other people who want to be involved, and take this over as juniors and seniors," said Sheena.

For more information on the teen coalition and the web site, or to help, call the 1 in 9 office at 357-9622. Pledges for Row for a Cure are being accepted at a special toll-free number: (877) ROW-CURE. Checks can be sent to Row for a Cure, PO Box 1655, Montauk, NY 11954.