Company Launches to Fill a Much-Needed Gap in the Market for Breast Cancer Patients
FREDERICK, Md., May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of National Women's Health Week, Someone With today announced its launch and the grand opening of its home health and medical supply online storefront, www.someonewith.com, to provide the best in ecommerce and printed in-waiting room catalog solutions for more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in America—including those currently undergoing treatment and the 220,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
Until today, women who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer had to commit hours upon hours of research time on multiple sites with minimal guidance to find the home health and medical products they will need during the course of their care. This site will break down geographic boundaries, allowing women to purchase supplies on one aggregated site—with support and feedback from other survivors and experts—while also providing friends and family a meaningful way to contribute to the cost of their care.
"The toolbox for at-home-shopping has exploded over the past ten years and breast cancer survivors in need of health and medical supplies deserve to benefit from the same advancements," said Paula Jagemann, Founder and CEO of Someone With. "I launched Someone With to drastically reduce the unnecessary hours women spend searching for obscure items, improve their overall experience by connecting them with guidance from other survivors and experts and help offset some of overwhelming financial burden associated with breast cancer disease management. It's all about giving time back to women with cancer, and providing unique financial solutions to help them pay for this unwanted journey."
Paula Jagemann is a proven entrepreneur in the ecommerce and supply chain management space. In addition to running Investor Relations and Public Relations for UUNet, Jagemann previously founded Online Office Supplies and eCommerce Industries (ECi2), which she sold via Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group, Inc. (FBR) for approximately $90M in 2006. Today, ECi2 stands a $100M software company that leads the industries it serves.
"It may not seem like paper clips and compression garments have anything in common, but if you take a closer look, it's all about understanding the supply chain and using technology to simplify and enhance the shopper's experience," said Jagemann. "Everyone keeps saying that healthcare is a different world, filled with hurdles and restrictions, but all I see is the opportunity to improve the lives of women living with breast cancer—and maybe even, eventually, the lives of all patients living with chronic disease."
The exact cost of each individual's breast cancer treatment varies from woman to woman, perhaps topping $300,000 or more in a worst-case scenario. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the amount of money women with breast cancer (who have employer-sponsored health insurance) spend out of pocket exceeds $6,500. A survey by the American Cancer Society indicates that one out of four people with cancer has used up all their personal savings and close to one in 10 has declared bankruptcy, sometimes resulting in patients cutting prescriptions, not going to their doctor, or not getting preventive services. "If pooled together, the hundreds if not thousands of dollars spent on flowers, balloons, and sympathetic, yet unproductive, gifts from friends and families could have a meaningful impact on their out-of-pocket medical and mounting financial burden," commented, Ms. Jagemann.
Among Someone With's web features is a patent-pending patient Registry™ that works like a baby/bridal registry for breast cancer patients. Once registered, Someone With manages a social media campaign on behalf of the patient, helping to facilitate financial support from family, friends and even foundations. Supporters can either purchase registry items directly for patients or contribute money to support patients' day-to-day financial needs. Someone With's Facebook community is already more than 6,700 people strong.
The website also features a robust collection of product reviews contributed by survivors and caregivers, allowing first-time and repeat customers to evaluate products that are otherwise unfamiliar to them. People visiting www.someonewith.com will also find the widest selection of "best in class" products. By aggregating these products and bundling them by disease stage, Someone With can help patients reduce the time they spend searching for items pre-, during, and post-treatment from a matter of several hours to less than 30 minutes.
"When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I was focused on dealing with all of the changes in my life and spending time with my family, not scouring the market to find health and medical supplies I knew nothing about," said Nicole McLean, a breast cancer survivor. "Over the years, I have learned that the best information comes from other women who have faced the same challenges. Someone With's 'for survivors from survivors' approach, combined with having so many products in one place and tools to help pay for it all will provide a valuable resource for women with breast cancer."
About Someone With
Headquartered in Frederick, MD, Someone With is a home health & medical supply company created to help women with breast cancer by providing ecommerce and social media tools to ease the personal and financial burden of disease management. With a distribution center in McKinney, TX and a call center in Scranton, PA, we have national reach and international capabilities. Visit www.someonewith.com to participate in an unparalleled home health shopping experience.
SOURCE Someone With