Football Hall of Famer and Cancer Survivor Jim Kelly Joins Merck to Challenge America to Raise Funds for the Cancer Community

With an estimated 1.6 million Americans diagnosed in 2017 alone, cancer not only impacts those diagnosed but their friends and family as well. In recognition of World Cancer Day on Sunday, Feb. 4, Merck, along with Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, is asking all Americans to join the Your Cancer Game Plan Challenge, a social awareness effort to help raise funds to support cancer patient organizations. The 30-day effort kicked off today as part of Your Cancer Game Plan, a comprehensive resource from Merck and the cancer advocacy community, to help cancer survivors and their loved ones manage the emotional, health and communication challenges of a cancer journey.

“I know from personal experience that you can’t face a cancer diagnosis alone and that you need access to information and resources that can help you make a game plan to fight back,” said Kelly. “For the next thirty days, when you share the Your Cancer Game Plan website with your friends and family on social media, you are not only providing a really helpful resource, but you also have the opportunity to help raise money for patient organizations who help people deal with cancer each and every day.”

To participate in the Challenge, Americans can visit www.YourCancerGamePlan.com and share the resource – complete with videos, recipes and communications tips – with their friends and family through their social networks. Participants can choose their favorite cancer advocacy organization to support, and for every social share of the resource Merck will donate $5 to the selected organization (up to a maximum of $200,000 total across all participating groups). The Challenge will allow the cancer community to continue education and support to help improve the lives of people with cancer and their loved ones.

“At Merck, we recognize the incredible support that the patient advocacy community provides to those affected by cancer, and we want to do more to help them help others. From online resources to in-person support groups and even more, these groups can often be the most valuable players in a person’s cancer game plan,” said Jill DeSimone, senior vice president, Merck Oncology, U.S.

Cancer advocacy groups who are participating in the Your Cancer Game Plan Challenge,include AIM at Melanoma Foundation, Alive and Kickn, Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN), Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF), CancerCare, Cancer Research Institute (CRI), Colorectal Cancer Alliance (CCA), Debbie’s Dream Foundation, Fight Colorectal Cancer, Gastric Cancer Foundation, Head and Neck Cancer Alliance (HNCA), Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA), Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA), Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF), Melanoma International Foundation (MIF), Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), No Stomach For Cancer and Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer (SPOHNC).