First-of-its-Kind Docuseries Uncovers
Patients’ ‘Stories of Resilience’
Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and
Canada, in collaboration with the breast cancer advocacy community
and Emmy-nominated actress, Yvonne Orji, launched a new initiative,
Uncovering TNBC, to shed light on the unique challenges Black women
face when diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
Non-Hispanic Black women are approximately two times more likely to
have TNBC than non-Hispanic white women, and compared to white
women, Black women are more likely to die of the disease. Join
Yvonne as she speaks with Sharon, Tiah and Damesha, three women
diagnosed with TNBC, who share their stories of triumphs while also
discussing the health disparities Black women can face. Through the
web docuseries and educational materials, Uncovering TNBC aims to
inform Black women and empower them to advocate for themselves with
their health care team.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211005005206/en/
Emmy-nominated actress, Yvonne Orji.
(Photo: Business Wire)
With a master’s degree in public health and a nurse for a
mother, Yvonne has been passionate about closing the health care
equity gap since before she became a TV star.
“I know firsthand how important it is for Black women to take
charge of their health and advocate for themselves. Data shows
women in our community have a higher chance of developing TNBC, but
we can take steps to help protect ourselves and our families,” said
Yvonne. “I hope these stories uplift women with TNBC and inspire
them to get the care they need.”
The centerpiece of the Uncovering TNBC campaign is a
three-episode web docuseries that highlights the challenges Black
women with TNBC can face throughout their cancer journeys. Hosted
by Yvonne, the docuseries spotlights three brave warriors and their
experiences with TNBC: Damesha from North Carolina, Sharon from
Virginia and Tiah from Georgia. The series aims to amplify the
stories of Black women with TNBC and offers resources that will
help others understand their risks and advocate for themselves. The
initiative also includes a webpage of educational information for
women who have a higher chance of developing or are newly diagnosed
with TNBC and their loved ones.
“There is no shortage of breast cancer resources, yet so few are
developed with the unique needs of Black women in mind,” said
Maimah Karmo, founder and CEO, Tigerlily Foundation. “As a native
of Liberia myself, I am proud to collaborate with Merck and Ms.
Orji to support the tireless efforts to meet that need and further
bridge the gap to care.”
“We’re honored to collaborate with advocacy organizations who
have been at the forefront of fighting for heath equity in the
breast cancer community on this important campaign,” said Jill
DeSimone, president, U.S. Oncology, Merck. “For Black women with
TNBC, optimal care is about more than just treating cancer: It’s
about being understood and supported. Uncovering TNBC is an
important program that is part of our broader efforts at Merck to
help advance health equity for all people with cancer.”
About Uncovering TNBC
In collaboration with Susan G. Komen, Living Beyond Breast
Cancer, Tigerlily Foundation, and Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Foundation, Uncovering TNBC was developed specifically for Black
women, who have a higher chance of developing or are newly
diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC accounts
for about 10-15% of all breast cancers and is an aggressive type of
cancer that is often difficult to treat. Black women who have a
higher chance of developing or are newly diagnosed with TNBC can
face unique disparities, including inadequate breast cancer
screening, lack of access to treatment and less access to
preventive and educational information.
Uncovering TNBC offers strategies to help address the barriers
Black women can face in their journey. Through culturally relevant,
educational and solution-oriented content, the program aims to
support patients from diagnosis to survivorship. Information and
resources can be found on UncoverTNBC.com.
About Yvonne Orji
Yvonne Orji is a Nigerian-American Emmy-nominated actress,
comedian and writer who continues to display her versatility and
passion with each project she takes on. In addition to her starring
role in the critically acclaimed HBO comedy series, Insecure, she
is a distinguished stand-up comedian, feature film star, podcast
host and published author.
Outside of her creative work, Yvonne is dedicated to her
charitable efforts. In 2008, she spent six months working in
post-conflict Liberia with Population Services International (PSI),
a non-governmental organization (NGO) that uses social marketing to
promote health behaviors. While in Liberia, she worked with a group
of talented youth to help build a mentoring program and a weekly
talk show that helped educate and prevent teen pregnancy and
HIV/AIDS.
Yvonne has brought her work with the youth community back to the
States, where she is now involved with (RED) campaigns and
faith-based youth ministries.
About Merck
For over 130 years, Merck, known as MSD outside of the United
States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward
medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging
diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. We
demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by
increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies,
programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the
forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten
people and animals – including cancer, infectious diseases such as
HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases – as we aspire to be
the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the
world. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with
us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Kenilworth, N.J., USA
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J.,
USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within
the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are
based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s
management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties.
If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or
uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially
from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general
industry conditions and competition; general economic factors,
including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations;
the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease
(COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and
health care legislation in the United States and internationally;
global trends toward health care cost containment; technological
advances, new products and patents attained by competitors;
challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining
regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict
future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays;
financial instability of international economies and sovereign
risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and
other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to
litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory
actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2020
Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s
Internet site (www.sec.gov).
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