Getting and staying motived to make positive lifestyle changes isn’t always easy, but it is necessary. And while I may not want to admit it, it does feel great. Sometimes it takes something serious and unexpected – a life-changing diagnosis like cancer, a heart attack, or a mental health crisis, amongst others – to push us into doing what we know we should but for whatever reason, we don’t…like taking better care of ourselves, eating well, and getting out at least once a day if we are able to.  

As the days get shorter (and chillier), we need to remember to stay active, positive and healthy, and to take in as much daylight as we can. For some, especially the non-snow birds among us, fall and winter can be challenging. Staying motivated to be outdoors, maintaining hobbies, connecting with family and friends may take a bit more effort, but it’s well worth it…and your body and mind will thank you. 

One of the reasons I wanted to go down this rabbit hole with you today is because we’re fresh off the heels of our most exciting and most successful Multiple Myeloma March in the history of Myeloma Canada!

Hundreds, actually thousands of you have, over the past months, invested your heart and soul, time, sweat and energy into organizing, promoting and executing your marches.

You all deserve not only a tremendous round of applause,

but a well-deserved rest!

And here’s where we come full circle: take that rest but remember the exhilaration you felt at your march and use it to re-energize yourself and keep moving throughout the coming months. If you haven’t visited the wellness section on our website (myeloma.ca), I invite you to do so. You’ll find delicious and nourishing recipes along with an exercise program to help keep the pep in your step.

This fall, we celebrated 16 sweet years of the Multiple Myeloma March, of coming together in positivity, hope and love to spread awareness for myeloma across the country. The marches are Myeloma Canada’s most important national community-building and fund-raising event, and after 16 years, they are stronger than ever, on all fronts. (If you missed my editorial last month, click here to learn more about the history of the marches.)

Every year, we set the national fundraising goal for the marches higher than the year before. Last year we were thrilled when you surpassed the national goal of $750,000 and raised $800,419! Given the economic climate of 2024 some folks in the community were concerned that reaching the 2024 target of $875,000 might not happen, but our belief in you and your passion was never in doubt.

Not only did you collectively reach, but once again,

you outdid the national goal! 

I am honoured to announce that the 16th annual Multiple Myeloma March has raised $928,370.42 to date, and donations are still coming in! (You can donate to your chosen march here.)

Given its huge success last year, the 2024 Multiple Myeloma March (MMM) research fund-sharing partnership program was back for 2024.

This year, six centres – four returning from 2023 and 2 new ones – participated in this unique program that enables qualifying charitable research organizations to partner with Myeloma Canada and their closest Multiple Myeloma March and be awarded a research grant of up to 50% of that march’s net proceeds.

We congratulate the following participants:  

1 - Airdrie Multiple Myeloma March – returning from 2023 

Research partner: University of Calgary

Project: Sarcopenia in Multiple Myeloma and AL Amyloidosis: Impact of Treatment and Effects of Sarcopenia on Clinical Survival Outcomes, a Pilot Study at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre 

Principal investigator: Dr Victor H. Jimenez-Zepeda, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Calgary, Clinician Scientist, Tom Baker Cancer Centre 

2 - Hamilton-Niagara Multiple Myeloma March – returning partner from 2023 

Research partner: Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation

New project: Comparing Outcomes between Progression-Free Survival (PFS) and Time to Next Treatment (TTNT) amongst Patients with Multiple Myeloma 

Research team: The myeloma group at Juravinski Cancer Centre 

3 - Kingston Multiple Myeloma March – new for 2024 

Partner: University Hospitals Kingston Foundation 

Project: Impact of routine Septra prophylaxis in patients receiving an autologous stem cell transplant 

Research team: Dr Bethany E. Monteith, Hematologist, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Queen's University, Kingston, ON 

4 - Quebec City Multiple Myeloma March – new for 2024 

Partner: CHU de Québec

Project: Use of immunoglobulins in MM patients receiving anti-BCMA therapy 

Principal investigator: Dr Julie Côté, Hematologist-oncologist, Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec, Quebec City, QC 

5 - Windsor-Essex County Multiple Myeloma March – returning from 2023 

Partner: University of Windsor 

Project: Establishing a Multiple Myeloma Drug Screening Platform to Predict Patient Response to Therapy 

Principal investigator: Lisa A. Porter, PhD; WE-SPARK Health Institute, Distinguished Professor, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario 

6 - Vancouver Multiple Myeloma March - returning from 2023 

Partner: BC Cancer and the BC Cancer Foundation

Project: Targeting Replication Stress Tolerance Genes for Myeloma Therapy 

Principal investigator: Dr Peter C. Stirling, PhD; Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia 

To learn more about each of the research projects, please click here. 

Over the past 6 months, Myeloma Canada has had the great privilege of participating at the exceptionally encouraging American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting (May 30 – June 3), the European Hematology Association (EHA) Hybrid Congress (June 13-16), and the International Myeloma Society Annual Conference (Sept 25 – 28).

We attended presentations, meetings and panel discussions hosted by the top minds in myeloma and hematological cancers and came away with first-hand learnings on the exciting advancements being made in myeloma research internationally and in Canada. We learned of the promising results from belantamab mafodotin (Belamaf, an antibody-drug conjugate), quadruplet therapies, bispecific antibody treatments, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies, and will continue to strongly advocate for access and approvals in Canada.

(For take-aways from ASCO and EHA click here. For links to presentations from the IMS conference, please see "Access & Research" in the main section of this newsletter). 

I, along with my esteemed colleagues, am more hopeful than ever that a cure for myeloma is in sight. Your passion, dedication and tremendous efforts are making a huge impact in the Canadian myeloma landscape, and on our beloved myeloma community. On behalf of everyone, I thank you. 

Warmly, 

Martine 

Resources:

• Myeloma Canada website - Living with myeloma
• Myeloma and diet
• Nutritious recipes for eating well
• Myeloma and exercise
• Exercise program 
• Resources: Wellness
• Research update from ASCO and EHA   
• Myeloma Canada's 2023 science and research impact report 
• 2024 Multiple Myeloma March fund-sharing partnership program