MADISON, Wis., June 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The national
colon cancer screening movement led by golfer Jerry Kelly will be front and center when the
PGA TOUR Champions comes to University Ridge Golf Course
June 22-24, 2018 for the American
Family Insurance Championship (AmFam Championship).
Today, the American Family Insurance Championship and Exact
Sciences announced an expanded partnership that makes the
Madison-based company and its
noninvasive colon cancer screening test, Cologuard, one of the
leading partners of the 2018 event. This will result in an expanded
presence for Exact Sciences at the tournament, and bring the
company's "Cologuard Challenge" Colon Cancer Screening Pledge to
fans, tournament partners and volunteers.
"Exact Sciences and the AmFam Championship share a vision for
helping people live their best lives possible so they can achieve
their dreams – and staying on top of your health is a big part of
that," said Kevin Conroy, chairman
and CEO of Exact Sciences. "We're excited to work with the
tournament organizers to help raise colon cancer awareness and
contribute to the event's ongoing charitable impact in our
community."
Madison-native and three-time PGA TOUR Champions winner
Jerry Kelly launched the Cologuard
Challenge screening pledge on tour in March
2018 at a players-only meeting during the inaugural
Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Ariz.
There, he asked all 78 players in the tournament field to commit to
talking to their doctor about colon cancer screening and to getting
screened. Before the tournament ended, all signed on to the pledge.
Now he's challenging fans to do the same.
"With Cologuard, even if you can't play golf like a pro, you can
screen like one," said Kelly. "I used Cologuard to get screened for
colon cancer shortly after I turned 50, and fellow pros tell me
they recently got screened too. Colon cancer is highly treatable if
detected early, so it's important to ask your health care provider
about your screening options."
Visitors to the on-course interactive Cologuard experience at
the AmFam Championship, or online at cologuardchallenge.com, will
have the opportunity to take the screening pledge and enter a
contest to win a VIP experience at the 2019 AmFam Championship,
complete with player and celebrity meet-and-greets, apparel
package, priority parking and concert tickets. Additionally, each
screening pledge will be recognized by Exact Sciences with a
$1.00 donation to the Steve Stricker
American Family Insurance Foundation.
While at the on-course Cologuard experience, fans can also test
their golf skills on a custom miniature golf hole benefitting the
Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. For each hole-in-one made by
visitors, Cologuard will donate $1.00
to support cancer research and services, and participants will
receive the same Cologuard hat Jerry
Kelly wears on tour.
"The primary goal of the American Family Insurance Championship
is giving back and raising funds for the people and organizations
making a positive difference in southcentral Wisconsin," said Nate
Pokrass, AmFam Championship tournament director and
executive director of the Steve Stricker American Family Insurance
Foundation. "We are honored to partner with Exact Sciences and
their expanded support of our 2018 tournament will allow us to
direct even more funds to community organizations and bring the
important topic of colon cancer awareness to families."
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in
the United States, but the topic
is often not discussed or is shied away from due to the
invasiveness of screening by colonoscopy1.
Cologuard is a noninvasive screening test for colon cancer that
can be collected at home. Once prescribed by a health care
professional, a Cologuard kit is shipped directly to the patient.
Samples are collected on the patient's own time and are returned to
the lab for processing using a prepaid shipping label. Unlike other
screening methods, Cologuard requires no preparation, dietary or
medication restrictions. Cologuard is intended for adults age
50-plus at average risk for colon cancer. To learn more about
Cologuard, visit www.cologuardtest.com.
Kelly's cancer connection
Jerry Kelly became officially
involved in colon cancer awareness after exchanging stories with
Exact Sciences chairman and CEO Kevin
Conroy. Both lost friends and family members to the disease,
creating a bond and shared mission to promote the importance of
colon cancer awareness and screening. This was formalized in 2017,
when Kelly began wearing a Cologuard hat at all his professional
events, beginning with the AmFam Championship. Since that time,
Cologuard has partnered with the PGA TOUR to raise colon cancer
awareness, becoming the official colon cancer screening sponsor of
the TOUR.
Colon cancer is widely known as one of the most preventable, yet
least prevented forms of cancer. It's the number two cancer killer
in the United States, taking
the lives of 51,000 Americans per year – more than both breast
cancer (41,000/year) and prostate cancer (29,000/year). Despite
colorectal cancer's preventability, more than 35 million Americans
age 50 and older are not current with screening guidelines.
About the American Family Insurance Championship
American Family Insurance, the PGA TOUR Champions and 13-time PGA
TOUR winner and Wisconsin native
Steve Stricker launched this
professional golf tournament in June
2016. The American Family Insurance Championship, held
annually at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wis., features a 78-player field.
Past champions include Fred Couples
(2017) and Kirk Triplett (2016).
Championship week includes the three-day tournament, two Pro-Am
competitions, charity concert and a special exhibition featuring
celebrities from the sports and music industries. The 2018 event
will be held June 18-24 with all
proceeds allocated to the Steve Stricker American Family Insurance
Foundation for distribution to the American Family Children's
Hospital and other charities. More than $2.7
million has been donated to charity since the inaugural
event in 2016. For more information: Web:
http://www.AmFamChampionship.com; Twitter: @AmFamChamp; Facebook:
American Family Insurance Championship; Instagram:
amfamchampionship #AmFamChamp
About Cologuard
Cologuard was approved by the FDA in August
2014 and results from Exact Sciences' prospective 90-site,
point-in-time, 10,000-patient pivotal trial were published in the
New England Journal of Medicine in April
2014. Cologuard is included in the American Cancer Society's
(2018) colorectal cancer screening guidelines and the
recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2016)
and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2016). Cologuard is
indicated to screen adults of either sex, 50 years or older, who
are at average risk for colorectal cancer. Cologuard is not for
everyone and is not a replacement for diagnostic colonoscopy or
surveillance colonoscopy in high-risk individuals. False positives
and false negatives do occur. Any positive test result should be
followed by a diagnostic colonoscopy. Following a negative result,
patients should continue participating in a screening program at an
interval and with a method appropriate for the individual patient.
Cologuard performance when used for repeat testing has not been
evaluated or established. For more information about Cologuard,
visit http://www.cologuardtest.com. Rx Only.
About Exact Sciences Corp.
Exact Sciences Corp. is a molecular diagnostics company focused on
the early detection and prevention of the deadliest forms of
cancer. The company has exclusive intellectual property protecting
its noninvasive, molecular screening technology for the detection
of colorectal cancer. For more information, please visit the
company's website at http://www.exactsciences.com, follow Exact
Sciences on Twitter @ExactSciences or find Exact
Sciences on Facebook.
1 Am J Prev Med. 2010 May; 38(5): 508–516.
doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2010.01.021.
Contacts:
Scott Larrivee, Exact Sciences,
608-535-8673, slarrivee@exactsciences.com
Janet Masters, AmFam Championship,
608-242-4100 x 30409, jmasters@amfam.com
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