Myeloma Action Month Reaches More Than 30M Worldwide, Foundation Says
More than 30 million people in 46 countries joined together to participate in Myeloma Action Month (MAM), a campaign in March to raise awareness of the rare blood cancer.
The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF), which organized the month-long campaign, says the awareness efforts were a success and helped to inspire “a culture of hope and resilience among members of the myeloma community,” it stated in a press release.
During the event, participants were encouraged to snap a photo of the action they would take for myeloma and upload it with the hashtag #MYelomaACTION to the event’s webpage and to social media sites.
Participants from around the world posted their photos, helped distribute the IMF’s myeloma facts and stats page, and shared infographics that were translated into more than 12 languages.
“Throughout this year’s Myeloma Action Month, the IMF focused on encouraging engagement through the theme, #MYelomaACTION,” said Yelak Biru, IMF president and CEO, and a myeloma survivor.
“Each of us has a role in advancing the art and science of cancer care in general, for better outcomes for myeloma in particular,” he added.
The IMF also announced several other highlights from around the globe.
Among them was the development of guided audio meditations and yoga for people living with myeloma. The programs, which were developed by the IMF’s regional director of support groups, Kelley Sidorowicz, are available for free here.
The support group team also presented IMF updates and resources to 80 different support groups throughout the month, the foundation said.
Several countries, including China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Italy, produced informational videos, lectures, and public broadcast programs in honor of MAM.
For example, in South Korea, the Korean Blood Disease & Cancer Association produced a video in which a leader of the Korean multiple myeloma working party answered patients’ questions about treatments, in addition to producing several other videos on various topics.
Further, MAM was officially declared in some locations, including Hamilton County, Tennessee, and Walker County, Georgia.
The foundation noted a particular thanks to MAM’s sponsors, including 2seventy bio, Amgen, Binding Site, Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Karyopharm Therapeutics, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, and Takeda Oncology.
“Thanks to the kind and generous contributions of individuals and groups, the IMF is delighted to announce that 2022 Myeloma Action Month made an enormous difference in building a powerful mosaic of activity for every myeloma patient, caregiver, nurse, doctor, and advocate — thus, fortifying the myeloma community’s collective hope, understanding, and resilience,” the IMF wrote.
The foundation launched Myeloma Awareness Month in 2009, which was re-named as Myeloma Action Month in 2016 to engage individuals and groups in actions that would support the myeloma community.
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