An All-Star Team Effort to Help Young Women with Breast Cancer

A breast cancer diagnosis is scary at any age. But think about hearing that news if you’re a woman under 40 planning to start a family, already raising young children and busy making key decisions for your household or in the prime years of working to advance your career. Or maybe even you’re facing a combination of circumstances at the same time. Balancing those challenges with treatment is daunting. Not to mention the shock of having a disease that traditionally affects older women.

That’s where the Young Survival Coalition comes in, a group aimed at helping to navigate the unique issues facing young women battling breast cancer. This week, Mylan was proud to be the lead sponsor for the second year in a row of the U.S. Congressional Women’s Softball Game, a bipartisan event benefiting the Coalition. Women members of Congress and women of the DC Press Corps battled it out to raise $365,000, as well as important awareness for an issue that has affected approximately 250,000 women under 40 in the U.S. alone. In addition to sponsoring the event, Mylan is also donating $5 up to $10,000 for every cancer story shared on Twitter by June 22 using #MyStoryCWSG.

If you have breast cancer, or know someone with it, you know the life-changing impact it has not only on your health, but also on your family, friendships, work and at times, even your faith. But there is help, and there is hope. I invite you to visit the Young Survival Coalition’s website, where you’ll not only find useful resources and support, you’ll be inspired by the personal stories of women as young as 19 who’ve faced the disease. You’ll read about Jenna, who was diagnosed at age 20, who proudly shares she is “a living, breathing example that anything and everything is possible as long as you have a positive outlook on the future.” You’ll also learn about Beth, diagnosed at age 33, who had a double mastectomy two days after her son’s first birthday.

 Those stories and more like them are why women’s health and oncology continue to be an important focus for Mylan and why we relentlessly pursue access to healthcare and high quality medicines not just in the U.S, but around the world. From launching biosimilars for breast cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries like Cameroon and Thailand, to providing comprehensive patient care management and chemotherapy training to medical professionals in India, we seek to provide a wide range of products and solutions to support cancer patients throughout their healthcare journey.

We commend the organizers and players of the Congressional Women’s Softball Game, and we’re proud to be part of helping the Young Survival Coalition. Because after all, when cancer throws life a curveball, no matter how unexpected or fast it comes at you, we want to do our part to help knock it right out of the park.