“For over 30 years, this has been my personal commitment, and now, joined by so many dedicated partners, we envision a world where cancer outcomes improve for everyone and survivors thrive.”

More than 30 years ago, I made a personal commitment to do all that I could to contribute to the fight against cancer – a disease that has impacted so many individuals, their families and communities.

In 1989, when my friend Nina Hyde, the fashion editor of the Washington Post, shared with me her breast cancer diagnosis, she asked me to do something to raise awareness. I heard her and soon after partnering with the late Katharine Graham and the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, we cofounded the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research. A few years later, the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation created the Pink Pony Fund to help ensure that underserved communities have access to quality treatment at an earlier, more curable stage. And in 2003, the MSK Ralph Lauren Center in Harlem, New York, was established with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to provide high-quality, compassionate and culturally-sensitive care in a welcoming environment.

Today, with the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation’s leadership, we are taking another step forward to advance our cancer efforts through a $25 million philanthropic pledge to expand or establish five Ralph Lauren cancer centers in the United States. This pledge will establish the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and further benefit the MSK Ralph Lauren Center. In the coming years, three additional grant recipients will be identified in partnership with Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation.

While we have made significant progress and advancements in our fight against this devastating disease, barriers to care and access persist, particularly in our most medically underserved and vulnerable communities. Joined by our dedicated partners, we envision a world where cancer outcomes improve for everyone and survivors thrive. It is our hope that, together, we can continue to raise awareness, strengthen avenues of support and generate meaningful change for families and communities who need it most.

This is our commitment to the fight against cancer and our overall belief in creating a better life, a better tomorrow for all.