HAMPTON, Va., May 15, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shelby Marie Adams, a Patient Advocate Foundation nominee, has been named one of ten Breakaway from Cancer Champions following a nationwide search to seek out those that have made positive and inspirational impact on the cancer population. Champions will be featured at Breakaway from Cancer events accompanying Amgen's Tour of California, a cycling road race held in California. Breakaway from Cancer is a national initiative designed to increase cancer awareness and provide assistance for patients from prevention to survivorship, and through its Champions recognizes extraordinary individuals that are making an impact in their community.
Adams was propelled to advocate for cancer patients after she was diagnosed with breast cancer a second time in 2012 and was faced with the harsh financial reality of a metastatic cancer diagnosis. "You shouldn't have to go through financial bankruptcy because you're sick," Adams says. She launched into the role of patient advocate and began lobbying Congress on the oral chemotherapy parity bill in Nevada. It was passed in 2014.
"Cancer doesn't come with a manual," Adams says. "But it's important to see the bright side of everything."
Nominations included survivors, patients, caregivers and advocates involved in making a difference for cancer patients in their community. All ten Champions will join breast cancer survivor and Honorary Breakaway from Cancer Champion Joan Lunden at the final stage of the 10th edition of the Amgen Tour of California, America's largest cycling race.
Each champion will be recognized for the positive and inspirational impact they have made in their communities at a reception held on May 16. All Champions will also participate in a "Breakaway Mile," which is a special walk along the race course designed to honor the millions of cancer survivors worldwide.
Breakaway from Cancer works collaboratively with nonprofits Patient Advocate Foundation, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Cancer Support Community, and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship to educate and assist patients facing cancer.
More information about Shelby and the other nine Breakawy from Cancer Champions can be found here.
About Patient Advocate Foundation: Established in 1996, Patient Advocate Foundation assists patients who have been diagnosed with serious illness overcome healthcare access barriers. PAF provides in-depth assistance through personalized case management, financial support, and connection to critical community resources. PAF serves uninsured and insured patients all across the country at no charge to help overcome and resolve insurance-related and financial obstacles that impact care. In 2014, PAF resolved 88,962 patient cases, with an average of 19.89 unique contacts per individual case, and were able to provide patients with $42,914,018 in debt relief.
Patient Advocate Foundation has numerous patient-focused programs that aid seriously ill patients during their medical journey, including free case management, co-payment assistance for medications and the option to apply for specific financial grants through the financial aid fund division. In addition, PAF offers education and guidance to all consumers nationwide through its 30+ publications and expert materials. For more information about Patient Advocate Foundation and their mission to improve health access to all patients, visit www.patientadvocate.org or call 1 (800) 532-5274.
About the Amgen Tour of California: The Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race created and presented by AEG that challenges the world's top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course that traverses hundreds of miles of California's iconic highways, byways and coastlines each spring. The teams chosen to participate have included Olympic medalists, Tour de France contenders and World Champions. Amgen Tour of California is listed on the international professional cycling calendar (2 HC, meaning "beyond category"), awarding important, world-ranking points to the top finishers. More information is available at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.
About Breakaway from Cancer®: Amgen is leading the race to dramatically improve people's lives through its national initiative, Breakaway from Cancer. Founded in 2005 by Amgen, Breakaway from Cancer aims to increase awareness of important resources available to people affected by cancer – from prevention through survivorship. Breakaway from Cancer is a collaboration between Amgen and four nonprofit partner organizations: Prevent Cancer Foundation, Cancer Support Community, Patient Advocate Foundation, and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. These organizations offer a broad range of support services complementing those provided by a patient's team of healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit www.breakawayfromcancer.com or follow us on www.twitter.com/breakawaycancer.
A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=32994
