The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) Sparks a Season for Change with the Most Impactful Myeloma Action Month Ever

LOS ANGELES, April 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid the pandemic, the team at the International Myeloma Foundation remained steadfast about its goals: Myeloma Action Month (MAM) in March 2021 would inspire the myeloma community and beyond to take action and create awareness about this incurable cancer.

The IMF is proud to report the myeloma community showed great strength and resilience. Despite the challenges of quarantine, 37 nations joined together and built a movement. What began as a seed sprouted into a season for change, with branches reaching more than 25 million people. Of the millions of Myeloma Action Month social media posts, there were 45,000 interactions; 22,000 shares; and 22,000 likes.

IMF President, Founder, and CEO Susie Durie said, "This year for Myeloma Action Month, despite the pandemic, we celebrated how individuals stepped up, took a deep breath to nurture their resilience, and coped with change to become Myeloma Warriors."

In 2009, the IMF launched March as Myeloma Awareness Month to shed light on this little known cancer. By 2016, the organization elevated the campaign to Myeloma Action Month, with the added purpose of encouraging individuals and groups to take actions that positively impact the myeloma community as a whole.

The year 2021 was all about taking small actions on a daily basis to bolster resilience. At the Myeloma Action Month website, global community members were motivated by choosing to post from these 31 days of resilience activities or to post from these 31 days of myeloma facts.

Thirty-seven countries spanning six continents took part. Myeloma Action Month (MAM) social media badges were translated into more than 10 international languages. Individuals and groups shared their actions, posts, and pictures from far and wide.

Some examples of actions taken include the following:

• IMF Regional Director of Support Groups, Kelley Sidorowicz, created guided audio meditations and yoga videos for those living with myeloma. These interactive programs are available for free at the Mind and Body Experience on the MAM website.
• The Korean Blood Disease Cancer Awareness Association translated Myeloma Fact Sheets into Korean and made them available to its members. They also distributed badges with the MAM logo and wrote columns and press releases about myeloma in local South Korean newspapers.
• In Beijing, myeloma doctors were provided a myeloma information manual and educational myeloma videos in Mandarin. These Chinese partners also launched new myeloma patient programs, and they placed MAM posters in hospitals and online.
• The Italian organization AIL (Associazione Italiana contro le Leucemie, linfomi e mieloma Onlus), which works in the fight against blood cancers, held a patient webinar on March 29 with more than 6,000 participants in attendance.
• The Turkish organization Kanser Savaşçıları (Cancer Survivors) organized three webinars with myeloma experts answering patient and caregiver questions.
• Linda Huguelet, an IMF Support Group Leader of the Chattanooga Multiple Myeloma Networking Group, led the charge for the state of Tennessee to proclaim March as Myeloma Action Month.

With the help of so many generous individuals and groups, the IMF is thrilled to announce March 2021 has been the most impactful Myeloma Action Month yet.

The IMF is especially grateful to the following Platinum Sponsors for supporting Myeloma Action Month: Abbvie, Amgen, The Binding Site, Bluebird Bio, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), GSK, Karyopharm Therapeutics, Oncopeptides, Sanofi Genzyme, and Takeda Oncology, as well as Gold Sponsor Arcotech Biopharma. 

ABOUT MULTIPLE MYELOMA

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow plasma cells -- white blood cells that make antibodies. A cancerous or malignant plasma cell is called a myeloma cell. Myeloma is called "multiple" because there are frequently multiple patches or areas in bone where it grows. It can appear as both a tumor and/or an area of bone loss, and it affects the places where bone marrow is active in an adult: the hollow area within the bones of the spine, skull, pelvis, rib cage, and the areas around the shoulders and hips.

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL MYELOMA FOUNDATION
Founded in 1990, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) is the first and largest foundation focusing specifically on multiple myeloma. The Foundation's reach extends to more than 525,000 members in 140 countries worldwide. The IMF is dedicated to improving the quality of life of myeloma patients while working toward prevention and a cure by focusing on four key areas: research, education, support, and advocacy. The IMF has conducted more than 250 educational seminars worldwide, maintains a world-renowned InfoLine, and in 2001, established the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG), a collaborative research initiative focused on improving myeloma treatment options for patients. In 2012, the IMF launched the Black Swan Research Initiative^®, a groundbreaking research project aimed at curing myeloma. The IMF can be reached at (800) 452-CURE (2873). The global website is www.myeloma.org.
Follow the IMF on Twitter @IMFmyeloma.

CONTACT:
Sapna Kumar skumar@myeloma.org (818) 487-7455

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SOURCE International Myeloma Foundation