Jimmy Smits Honors Cancer Community in an SU2C Public Service Announcement with GlaxoSmithKline(To view the full-page PSA, visit su2c.org/weallstandup)
December 21, 2010 – Jimmy Smits pays tribute to the men and women working each day in the fight against cancer in a Stand Up to Cancer public service announcement campaign with GlaxoSmithKline. The campaign message, “When we all stand up, cancer will stand down,” conveys the importance of collaboration—a core component of the Stand Up To Cancer movement, which was launched in 2008.
“I’m honored to be a part of the Stand Up to Cancer community,” said Smits. “I’m standing up for my cousin, Carol, who passed away in 2008 after a long battle against cancer, and other members of my family who have been touched by it. Scientists tell us that this is a moment of great promise in cancer research, where the prospect of moving this disease from one that takes far too many lives to one people triumph over is within reach. Through this campaign, I wanted to help convey that hopeful message to the public, and encourage everyone to be a part of the effort to end cancer, once and for all.”
Stand Up To Cancer’s innovative approach to research is designed to eliminate barriers that have traditionally inhibited creativity and collaboration by enabling the best and brightest investigators from leading institutions across the country and internationally to work together. These collaborative Dream Teams are pursuing the most promising research, accelerating the discovery of new therapies for cancer patients and advancing efforts in cancer prevention research. Stand Up To Cancer also awards Innovative Research Grants to individual investigators pursuing high-risk, potentially high-reward cancer research.
The PSA campaign features Jimmy Smits surrounded by members of the cancer community, standing up together. Pictured in the PSA are actual doctors, nurses, survivors, caregivers and patient advocates who are serving on the front line of the fight against the disease every day. An online component of the PSA includes videos of the people featured in the PSA talking about their own personal commitment to standing up to cancer.
“As a cancer survivor, I’m proud that GlaxoSmithKline was one of the first major supporters of such an important initiative. Together, we are dedicated to a collaborative effort to fight cancer,” said Eric Dube, Vice President, Oncology. “Along with the entire community, we are transforming the way we treat this disease with the latest tools and services. When we’re all focused on the same goal, we are better equipped to force cancer to stand down.”
To view the PSA, visit su2c.org/weallstandup.
About Stand Up To Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) – a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization – raises funds to hasten the pace of groundbreaking translational research that can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. In the fall of 2007, a group of women who have been profoundly affected by cancer began working together to marshal the resources of the media and entertainment industries in the fight against it. To learn more, visit www.standup2cancer.org.
About GlaxoSmithKline
GSK Oncology is dedicated to producing innovations in cancer that will make profound differences in the lives of patients. Through GSK’s revolutionary ‘bench to bedside’ approach, we are transforming the way treatments are discovered and developed, resulting in one of the most robust pipelines in the oncology sector. Our worldwide research in oncology includes collaborations with more than 160 cancer centers. GSK is closing in on cancer from all sides with a new generation of patient focused cancer treatments in prevention, supportive care, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies.
GlaxoSmithKline – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For further information please visit www.gsk.com.