It all started when Ralph Lauren met Dr. Harold Freeman, our medical director. Mr. Lauren had supported cancer research in the past, but after meeting with Dr. Freeman in 2001, he was inspired to take his involvement to another level. He was incredibly impressed with Dr. Freeman’s expertise and passion for making cancer screening and treatment available to all.

“Mr. Lauren didn’t say very much, but he quietly asked me a few questions. Afterward, he stood up, shook my hand and said, ‘I will help you.’ He looked in my eyes. He was very sincere. I had never met him before. It turned out he was very serious. I was asked to create a proposal with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and that plan has become the basis for the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention.”