Modern Family Star Eric Stonestreet Challenges Americans to Support the Cancer Community and Learn about Immuno-Oncology Research Through Ready. Raise. Rise.

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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