Celebrity Chef Sandra Lee Offers Recipes and Shortcuts in the Kitchen to People with Rheumatoid...( Lee Joins Bristol-Myers Squibb and ...),Health

Lee Joins Bristol-Myers Squibb and Arthritis Foundation to Launch the 'I

Can with RA in the Kitchen(TM)' Campaign

NEW YORK, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/-- Life and Style Expert Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade approach to cooking, which involves using 70 percent store-bought items and 30 percent homemade items in every meal, makes life easier for millions of busy Americans. Unknown to most, Lee's signature style was strongly influenced by her grandmother, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic, progressive disease of the immune system that causes joint damage as well as chronic pain, stiffness, swelling and fatigue.(1)

"RA made cooking difficult for my grandma, and I recently met with people who also experience the same challenges because of their RA," said Lee, who is working with Bristol-Myers Squibb, makers of the RA treatment ORENCIA(R) (abatacept), and the Arthritis Foundation, to launch the I Can with RA in the Kitchen campaign. "In fact, in a recent Roper telephone survey of 128 people with moderate-to-severe RA who were not responding well enough to their current medication,(2) nearly 60 percent of those who cook or help cook said they find it difficult to do so.(2) My grandma developed shortcuts and other ways to continue cooking, and her resourcefulness inspired me to offer recipes and tips that may help people with RA who find it difficult to do things like prepare meals for their families or to host a small dinner party with friends," continued Lee.

ORENCIA is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderate-to- severe RA who have not been helped enough by other medications for RA.

Lee's RA-friendly kitchen organization ideas and cooking tips are available at http://www.ICanWithRA.com. The Web site also includes a broad range of recipes -- from 20-minute meals to healthy feasts -- and a self-assessment tool to help patients tra
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