Stories and Viewpoints

Caring for One Another

November 5, 2021

By Anne Wilson, Head of Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at Viatris and Jennifer Merschdorf, CEO at Young Survival Coalition

Each year, a heated rivalry takes the field in the Congressional Women’s Softball Game (CWSG). A bipartisan team of Congressional women joins forces to face off with women of the D.C. press corps. This game raises crucial funds for Young Survival Coalition (YSC), a global organization dedicated to addressing the needs of young adults affected by breast cancer.  For many players, this cause is personal as they have faced their own breast cancer diagnosis. Viatris has been the lead sponsor of the CWSG for several years, creating a partnership with YSC that has strengthened both organizations.

Breast cancer is a diagnosis few young people ever think will happen to them. However, each year in the U.S. more than 13,000 young adults are diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 and under.¹ These young patients and those close to them must traverse a unique set of challenges that make their experiences much different than their older counterparts.

This is where YSC comes in. YSC is dedicated to the critical issues these young people face, such as fertility and family planning, navigating intimate relationships, induced menopause as a young person, and caring for young children through cancer treatment. YSC provides patients and their co-survivors with support, information, and community as they navigate their treatment and survivorship, while also advocating for young patients’ access to care, treatment and inclusion in research and clinical trials.  

As an organization that focuses on access to care, Viatris is proud of our relationship with YSC and is strongly commited to increasing patient access to quality, life-saving therapies. However, our mission does not stop there. Viatris is also focused on providing patient and advocacy support that strengthens our health care system and supports the goals of organizations like YSC. 

It is estimated that 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will have breast cancer in their lifetime.² Cancer does not discriminate by age, gender or race. Through partnerships like the one between YSC and Viatris, we can advocate for, empower and educate not only the patients who are impacted by breast cancer but also those who shape the path that patients take on their journey. 

¹ Young Survival Coalition Breast Cancer Statistics

² American Cancer Society: How Common is Breast Cancer?