Patrick Dempsey Teams up With Breakaway from Cancer® to Help Connect Cancer Patients to Free Resources

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May 11, 2011, 04:01 ET

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., May 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Patrick Dempsey is speaking out to help connect cancer patients to the free resources available to them via Amgen's Breakaway from Cancer® initiative.

"Cancer entered my life in 1997 when my mother was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer," explained Dempsey. "I remember the feelings well – it was overwhelming. My family was trying to come to terms with the fear and shock of the diagnosis, while also working to sort through vast amounts of information to try and make the 'right' decisions for my mother's care."

Dempsey first teamed up with Breakaway from Cancer in 2007 to help bring the issue of better supporting patients to the forefront. In 2008, he founded The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing (www.dempseycenter.org) at the Central Maine Medical Center -- the same hospital where Patrick was born and his mother received her cancer treatment.

Patrick Dempsey has now filmed a public service announcement (PSA) to raise awareness of the wide range of resources available to help people fight cancer. In the video, Dempsey talks about the challenges of choosing the right path and making the right choices - and urges people to take advantage of the free resources available via Breakaway from Cancer.

Breakaway from Cancer represents a collaboration between Amgen and four nonprofit partner organizations to connect individuals with support services ranging from cancer prevention, assistance during treatment, and embracing survivorship. The Breakaway from Cancer website provides a 'one-stop shop' of essential resources, including a navigator tool to help maneuver through the complicated maze of online information that currently exists. The tool conducts a targeted search based on user-entered criteria from more than 100 hand-selected credible cancer websites to offer patients the information they need.

Wherever you may be in your cancer journey, Breakaway from Cancer is here to help you find your way," Dempsey explains. "Whether you're newly diagnosed or have finished your treatment, breakawayfromcancer.com has resources you can use - all in one place."

To watch the PSA, visit www.breakawayfromcancer.com.

About Breakaway from Cancer®

Founded in 2005 by Amgen, Breakaway from Cancer® is a national initiative to increase awareness of important resources available to people affected by cancer – from prevention through survivorship. Through Breakaway from Cancer, Amgen has joined forces with four nonprofit partner organizations: Prevent Cancer Foundation, Cancer Support Community (formerly known as The Wellness 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.

About Amgen

Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures, and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe, effective medicines from lab to manufacturing plant to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, bone disease, and other serious illnesses. With a deep and broad pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives. To learn more about our pioneering science and vital medicines, visit www.amgen.com.

CONTACT:
Amgen, Thousand Oaks
Leanne Madison: 805-447-1201 or 805-603-9241
[email protected]

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SOURCE Amgen