THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.,
May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/
-- Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) today announced the 10 Breakaway
from Cancer® Champions selected from a nationwide
search for survivors, patients, caregivers and advocates who have
inspired those affected by cancer. These extraordinary individuals
will join breast cancer survivor and Honorary Breakaway from
Cancer Champion Joan Lunden at
the final stage of the 10th edition of the Amgen Tour of
California, America's largest and
most prestigious professional cycling race.
While at the Amgen Tour of California, each Champion will be recognized
for the positive and inspirational impact they have made in their
communities at a reception on May 16
and at the Pasadena overall finish
of the race on May 17. They and a
guest will watch the race near the finish line in Pasadena and will also participate in the
"Breakaway Mile," a special walk along the race course to honor the
millions of cancer survivors worldwide.
During Lunden's recent battle with breast cancer, she committed
herself to educating women about the importance of screening and
early detection. Through her advocacy, she inspired others to
protect their own health. Lunden opened up to the public about her
personal journey with the hopes that she could offer support and
inspiration and provide a better understanding of the cancer
treatment process. Her newest book about her battle with breast
cancer, entitled Had I Known, will be released this
Fall.
"What a thrill to join Amgen's 10 Breakaway from Cancer
Champions at the 10th Amgen Tour of California professional bike race," said
Lunden. "It means so much to me to have the opportunity to share
their stories and to help bring awareness to the resources
available to those impacted by cancer."
The 2015 Breakaway from Cancer Champions are:
Shelby Marie Adams, Cancer
Survivor/Advocate, Reno, Nev.
– During her second breast cancer diagnosis and prompted by the
financial reality of her overall cancer journey, Shelby Marie Adams launched into the role of an
advocate. Adams could not understand why certain treatments were
covered by insurance and others were not. She shared her story with
Congress in hopes of passing the Oral Parity Bill and, sensing she
could do more, she joined Project Innovation, which encourages the
acceleration of medical treatment for cancer patients. She also
distributes a "chemo kit" filled with useful items to cancer
patients at a local support group. Adams has plans to create a
501c3 nonprofit organization to distribute the "chemo kits."
Karen Borges,
Advocate/Caregiver, San Luis Obispo,
Calif. – Overwhelmed by her young son's cancer journey
and the numerous exams, surgeries and expenses, Borges turned to
local nonprofit Jack's Helping Hand (JHH), which is dedicated to
helping families of children battling cancer. For two years, while
her son Tyler was treated in New
York and Los Angeles, JHH
provided financial assistance for transportation costs, food,
medical bills, and even hearing aids for Tyler. Once Tyler was on
the road to recovery, Borges began volunteering at JHH and she now
leads the nonprofit, providing assistance to nearly 100 families of
children with cancer on California's Central Coast.
Mary Carrillo,
Advocate/Caregiver, Irvine, Calif.
– Mary Carrillo's world turned
upside down on March 24, 2014 – the
day her seven-year-old son, Calvin, lost his battle with acute
lymphoblastic leukemia. Despite the grief and pain, Carrillo's life
mission is now to end blood cancers. She is deeply involved with
the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), fundraising and advocating
for patients. And, she is in the process of raising $50,000 toward research for the LLS Man and Woman
of the Year campaign. In the long term, Carrillo is working toward
a foundation in Calvin's name that will assist pediatric cancer
patients and their families. Carrillo is a single mom who bravely
stood by her son throughout his illness. Now she is moving forward
with strength and courage, trying to make a difference for cancer
patients like Calvin.
Donna Deegan, Cancer Survivor,
Jacksonville, Fla. – When she
was diagnosed with cancer, Donna
Deegan overcame her initial feelings of fear and anger and
chose love. Inspired by the story of one woman who couldn't make
ends meet while battling breast cancer, Deegan created The Donna
Foundation in June 2003. To date, The
Donna Foundation has successfully assisted more than 7,000 women in
Northeast Florida, covering
expenses such as medical bills, mortgage payments, home utility
bills and school tuition. Also an avid runner, Deegan created the
only marathon in the country to focus solely on breast cancer
research and care – 26.2 with DONNA. Since its inception in 2008,
it has attracted tens of thousands of runners from every state and
more than 20 countries around the world, raising more than
$4 million for the Mayo Clinic and
The Donna Foundation.
Elaine Eckert, Advocate/Cancer
Survivor, Jacksonville, Fla. –
Elaine Eckert is a member of Bosom
Buddies, a program in Jacksonville
that improves the lives of women affected by breast cancer. She was
always the caregiver, not the patient, so her own breast cancer
diagnosis in 2008 came as a shock. She had never missed a yearly
mammogram since turning 40, never smoked, and did not have a family
history of cancer. Now a survivor, Eckert continues to volunteer as
a Survivor Advocate for women newly diagnosed with cancer and
accompanies them to doctor appointments, acts as a second set of
ears and provides support and encouragement.
Shawn Gardner, Advocate,
Alexandria, Va. –
Breast cancer changed Shawn
Gardner's life. An eighth grade English teacher, he is the
son of a survivor, the brother of one sister lost to breast cancer
and another sister who had prophylactic surgery to avoid the
disease. And, Gardner himself carries the breast cancer gene. In
honor of his late sister, Gardner started Team Heather, a
fundraising group that has raised more than $500,000 and provided nearly 5,000 mammograms or
10,000 clinical breast exams and educated thousands on the
importance of early detection.
Nick Gleissner, Cancer
Survivor, Hemet, Calif. – The
Gleissner family is all-too familiar with childhood cancer. Nick's
brother, Christopher, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form
of cancer in 1997, and after a strenuous two-year battle, passed
away. In February 2006, doctors
discovered a malignant and inoperable brain stem tumor in
Nick Gleissner. It was his sophomore
year of high school and the beginning of two challenging years of
hospitalizations, therapies and visits with countless specialists.
Not only were his memory, speech and vision affected, but Nick also
had to re-learn to walk, talk, feed and dress himself. Nick's
father bought him a three-wheeled adult trike and that bike
launched his recovery and rehabilitation into a passion for
cycling. In 2011, Nick rode in his first century ride and has
completed 15 more single century rides and two double century
rides. He is currently preparing for the Para-Cycling National
Championships in May 2015.
Robert Hess, Cancer
Survivor/Advocate, Manhattan Beach,
Calif. – Inspired by his own journey with cancer,
Robert Hess founded the Prostate
Cancer Awareness Project (PCAP) in 2006 to raise awareness
surrounding early detection. Through PCAP, Hess developed
ProstateTracker, an early warning tool that is free online, to
monitor PSA levels and send reminders about annual screenings.
Debra Katzenberger, Advocate,
Glen Burie, Md. – A
grandmother who lost her granddaughter at age eight after a three
year battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Debra Katzenberger set out to honor her
granddaughter and build a legacy for the little girl she adored.
Katzenberger founded The Kamryn Lambert Foundation, which provides
help for families with children undergoing cancer treatment,
including a program that provides pajamas to pediatric
patients. Since February of 2008, they have collected more
than 20,000 pairs of pajamas and delivered them to more than 30
hospitals throughout the United
States.
William Kenny, Cancer
Survivor, Los Angeles –
A successful television writer and producer for sitcoms who was
diagnosed with testicular cancer at age 30, William Kenny's journey with cancer changed his
life in many ways. The nurses and how they faced real life with
intimate, personal conversations inspired him. He felt that his
sitcom career was superficial by comparison and in his exploration
for a new future, he went back to school for nursing. He's now a
Senior RN at Los Angeles Children's Hospital and is motivated by
the children who are his patients.
"Nearly everyone has been touched by cancer in some way or
another, and Amgen's hope is that by sharing the stories of these
10 courageous Breakaway from Cancer Champions, we will in
turn help someone facing a similar situation," said Raymond C. Jordan, senior vice president of
Corporate Affairs at Amgen. "Amgen and our Breakaway from
Cancer partners, along with our 2015 Honorary Breakaway from
Cancer Champion Joan Lunden, are
honored to celebrate these Champions and everyone impacted by
cancer during the final weekend of the 10th
anniversary of the Amgen Tour of California."
The panel of judges, including Joan
Lunden and representatives from Amgen, Anschutz
Entertainment Group, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Cancer Support
Community, Patient Advocate Foundation and the National Coalition
for Cancer Survivorship, selected Champions based on the positive
impact nominees have made, as well as overall presentation, passion
and appeal of the story.
About Amgen
Amgen is committed to unlocking the
potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses
by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative
human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like
advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and
understand the fundamentals of human biology.
Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages
its biologics manufacturing expertise to strive for solutions that
improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A
biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the
world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached
millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline
of medicines with breakaway potential.
For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow us on
www.twitter.com/amgen.
About Breakaway from
Cancer®
Amgen is leading the race to
dramatically improve people's lives through its national
initiative, Breakaway from Cancer. Founded in 2005 by Amgen,
Breakaway from Cancer aims to increase awareness of
important resources available to people affected by cancer – from
prevention through survivorship. Breakaway from Cancer
is a collaboration between Amgen and four nonprofit partner
organizations: Prevent Cancer Foundation, Cancer Support Community,
Patient Advocate Foundation, and National Coalition for Cancer
Survivorship. These organizations offer a broad range of support
services complementing those provided by a patient's team of
healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit
www.breakawayfromcancer.com or follow us on
www.twitter.com/breakawaycancer.
About the Amgen Tour of California
The Amgen Tour of
California is a Tour de
France-style cycling road race created and presented by AEG that
challenges the world's top professional cycling teams to compete
along a demanding course that traverses hundreds of miles of
California's iconic highways,
byways and coastlines each spring. The teams chosen to participate
have included Olympic medalists, Tour de France contenders and
World Champions. Amgen Tour of California is listed on the international
professional cycling calendar (2 HC, meaning "beyond category"),
awarding important, world-ranking points to the top finishers. More
information is available at
www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.
About Joan Lunden
As
the longest running host ever on early morning television,
Joan Lunden was the co-host
of Good Morning America for nearly two decades.
Joan is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, health and
wellness advocate, international speaker, and a mom of seven
children. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in June of 2014,
Joan made it her mission to educate and inspire others about breast
cancer prevention, treatment, and survival through her video blog
on www.JoanLunden.com and via her social media. Her website has
quickly become a go-to source of information for women, bringing
together experts on a myriad of relevant topics for today's woman
not limited to breast cancer, but also including health, boomers,
caregiving, and family. Her bestselling books
include Joan Lunden's
Healthy Cooking, Joan Lunden's
Healthy Living, Wake-Up Calls and A Bend in the
Road Is Not the End of the Road. Joan speaks all over the
country about her breast cancer journey, health & wellness,
inspiration, and success. In October, Joan joined
NBC's TODAY show as a Special Correspondent for
Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the show continues to follow her
breast cancer journey on the air.
For more information, visit
www.Joanlunden.com.
CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand
Oaks
Kristen Davis, 805-447-3008
(media)
Arvind Sood, 805-447-1060
(investors)
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