About a year ago, I told you, along with millions of people in the SumOfUs community, that my mom and my aunt had breast cancer. Myriad Genetics, a biotech company, was trying to
patent a breast and ovarian cancer gene in the Australian courts -- and an amazing grandmother, Yvonne D'Arcy, was taking them on.

If Myriad won, its patent would have stifled global cancer research and made the cost of getting tested for this genetic mutation too expensive for most people.

D'Arcy lost her initial court challenge, but she didn't give up.

She appealed her case, and the Australian High Court just ruled 7-0 in her favour.

Thousands of you took action last year to call on Myriad to stop profiting off of cancer victims and drop the patent. Now that Yvonne has won this case, let's send her a giant thank you card from SumOfUs members all over the world.

Sign the thank you card for Yvonne and leave a personal message for her.

Despite the heavy emotional toll this legal battle had on Yvonne, she never gave up because she knew
a victory in her favour could save countless lives around the world.

With global cancer rates on the rise, we need to be fighting for prevention, treatments and cures for cancer --
not allowing corporations to profit off this disease. Scientists say genetic research is just years away from tests and treatments that will limit the suffering of millions of people around the world battling cancer. But patents like the one sought by Myriad Genetics threaten this by slowing down life-saving medical research and raising the cost of treatment.

I can't tell you how proud I was to call my mom and tell her the news. Now let's give something back to Yvonne for all she's done.

Join the SumOfUs community in thanking Yvonne for her brave efforts by signing the thank you card and leaving her a personal message.

From the privatization of health services to the skyrocketing of live-saving drug prices, corporations are increasingly looking for ways to profit off our health. That's why the SumOfUs community is standing up to defend public and affordable health services and drugs around the world.

Yvonne is proof that together, we can fight for the future we want to see, no matter how wealthy and powerful the opposition.

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More information:

Patient wins high court challenge against company's cancer gene patent, The Guardian, October 7, 2015