Understanding that cancer can affect many different parts of a person’s life and realizing that it takes a team to beat cancer, Amgen has partnered with four leading nonprofit, national cancer support organizations on an initiative called Breakaway from Cancer.

The Breakaway from Cancer partners collectively offer people affected by cancer a broad range of support services complementing those provided by a patient’s team of health care professionals. Those groups — Prevent Cancer Foundation, Cancer Support Community, Patient Advocate Foundation and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship — provide a range of educational, financial, and advocacy services.

Amgen, a global biotechnology company that makes medicines for people with serious illnesses, and Patrick Dempsey became fast friends in 2007, when Patrick was a spokesman for Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer initiative. Dempsey’s mom was battling ovarian cancer at the time, so he’d learned firsthand how important it is to have access to good, reliable resources to help the patient, family members and caregivers.

Dempsey understands the flood of feelings that surface when cancer enters the picture. He describes how he felt both fear and shock as he coped with his mother’s cancer diagnosis. He’s not alone. Many people are overwhelmed and feel unprepared to face all of the challenges cancer brings.

The Breakaway from Cancer nonprofit partners are truly a team of problem-solvers to help fight cancer.

Stuart Arbuckle,

vice president and

general manager,

Amgen Oncology

Thousand Oaks, California

Editor’s note: For information on Breakaway from Cancer, go to: breakawayfromcancer.com.