NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Eric Stonestreet of television’s hit comedy “Modern Family” and new reality competition series, “The Toy Box,” is once again lending his star power to the Ready. Raise. Rise. campaign, challenging people across the country to show their support for the cancer community and spread the word about immuno-oncology – a rapidly evolving area of cancer research that aims to offer renewed hope and the potential of a longer life to people with various forms of cancer.

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Ready. Raise. Rise. Spokespeople Tia Mowry, Eric Stonestreet and Dak Prescott (Photo: Business Wire)

“Anyone who’s been touched by cancer knows it’s a battle – one that involves patients, and often a community of family, friends, doctors, nurses, scientists and advocates around them. I know this firsthand from when my mom was diagnosed with cancer twice, and when my grandmother battled this disease three times,” said Stonestreet. “I’m joining Ready. Raise. Rise. again to bring us together as a community and take action in the fight against cancer. I’ve even recruited my friends Dak Prescott and Tia Mowry to help encourage all of America to get involved in the challenge. We can fight cancer together.”

“Cancer incidence rates are increasing worldwide, and in the United States cancer has replaced heart disease as the leading cause of death in 22 states,” said Morganna Freeman, DO, FACP, Associate Director, Melanoma and Cutaneous Oncology Program, The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. “Fighting cancer calls for advancements in research, such as immuno-oncology, which seek to harness the body’s own immune system to help identify and attack cancer cells with the ultimate goal of improving survival and quality of life for people with cancer. It also calls for each of us to play a role in the fight against cancer, whether that be supporting a loved one, providing medical care, contributing to advocacy groups or researching for a cure.”

A new Ready. Raise. Rise. survey of 2,500 American adults revealed gaps in knowledge about an advancement in cancer research, immuno-oncology, and reinforced the importance of community support for people impacted by cancer. According to the results:

• The overwhelming majority of Americans (88%) say that cancer research is important to them, yet few (25%) are knowledgeable about a rapidly evolving area – immuno-oncology research
• In fact, only four in 10 people are aware that the immune system can help fight some cancers
• A promising finding, however, showed 83% of Americans want to know more about how the immune system fights cancer
• When it comes to building a strong network when fighting cancer, 66% of those impacted by the disease agree that having a strong support system would be most helpful to them

The Ready. Raise. Rise. challenge is a call to action to all Americans to raise money for cancer advocacy groups and spread the word about immuno-oncology research. When people visit ReadyRaiseRise.com, they can take socially-driven actions, like raising and sharing a virtual flag on behalf of a loved one touched by cancer, sending a message of support and spreading the word about immuno-oncology research. In taking these actions, people can earn points for the participating advocacy group of their choice. For every point earned by July 31, 2017, Bristol-Myers Squibb will donate $1 up to a maximum $150,000 to be distributed equally among participating advocacy groups.

“Through our continued work within immuno-oncology research in multiple types of cancer, we ultimately strive to improve outcomes for patients, such as survival and quality of life. Ready. Raise. Rise. helps bring together the cancer community to spread awareness of research developments and provide a meaningful platform to honor everyone who plays a role in fighting this disease,” said Teresa Bitetti, senior vice president, U.S. Oncology, Bristol-Myers Squibb.

About Ready. Raise. Rise.

Ready. Raise. Rise. is a campaign sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb to raise awareness of immuno-oncology, a rapidly evolving area of research, and bring people together to participate in the fight against cancer by celebrating and honoring loved ones touched by the disease and supporting the cancer community. Thirty cancer advocacy groups participate in Ready. Raise. Rise. For more information, visit ReadyRaiseRise.com.

Immuno-Oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is leading research in an innovative field of cancer research and treatment known as immuno-oncology, which seeks to work directly with the body’s immune system to fight cancer. The company is exploring a variety of compounds and immunotherapeutic approaches for patients with different types of cancer, including researching the potential of combining immuno-oncology agents that target different pathways in the treatment of cancer.

Bristol-Myers Squibb is committed to advancing the science of immuno-oncology, with the goal of changing survival expectations and the way patients live with cancer.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

About the Survey

The survey was conducted by Kantar TNS, one of the world’s largest research agencies. Participants in the nine-question, self-administered online omnibus survey were a nationally-representative sample of 2,500 Americans 18 years of age and older. The survey was conducted from February 23-26, 2017. The margin of sampling error for total Americans at the 95% level of confidence is ±2.0%. The margin of sampling error for Americans who are cancer sufferers/survivors at the 95% level of confidence is ±7.9%. Data are weighted to reflect accurate representation of the population.

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