IMF Opening ‘Action’ Campaign to Mark Myeloma Awareness Month
The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) is opening its annual Myeloma Action Month (MAM) campaign with a variety of events and undertakings to raise disease awareness across the community and the public-at-large.
“Action” is theme of this year’s monthlong event, held each March.
“The focus for this year’s Myeloma Action Month will be on actions that individuals or groups can take to draw attention to and increase awareness about the disease, and to foster community-building,” the IMF stated in a press release.
In honor of the awareness month, individuals can help with myeloma awareness by posting on social media a photo of actions they take with a brief caption and the hashtag #MYelomaACTION. Posts will be displayed on IMF’s digital “Wall of Action” dedicated webpage.
Several resources are also available to help people spread myeloma awareness, including a “stats and facts” information page, which people are encouraged to share with their community.
Supporters can also post a selfie with MAM merchandise, change their social media profile image to the MAM logo, or distribute a press release to a local newspaper, radio, or television station.
People with this disease are encouraged to personalize, sign, and send a patient action letter to local healthcare providers. Developed by Brian G.M. Durie, MD, the chief scientific officer and chairman of the IMF, the letter details myeloma signs, symptoms, and diagnostic tests for doctors who may be unfamiliar with the disease.
A new wellness program, which includes educational resources, exercises, and mindfulness practices tailored for people affected by this disease and their caregivers is also available through the IMF. Patients and caregivers can also join or start a local virtual myeloma support group.
Two virtual informational webinars will be held in March. The first is the “Living Well Webinar,” set for March 10 at 7:00 pm EST. It will cover topics related to managing side effects, including peripheral neuropathy.
The second will provide an overview of myeloma, available treatments, and clinical trials. This IMF Regional Community Workshop webinar begins on March 19 at 10:00 am EST.
The overall mission of the IMF is to improve the lives of people with myeloma, and to work toward prevention and a cure.
“For more than 30 years, the IMF has been a catalyst for research, an accelerator of hope, and a partner to patients and their loved ones. I am humbled to join the organization and to do what I am passionate about doing, in the service of those who love what we do,” said Yelak Biru, CEO of the IMF and a myeloma survivor.
“Living with myeloma is not easy but having an organization like the IMF beside me during my cancer journey has helped me live with — and not for — myeloma,” Biru added.
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