Spring Forward

Martine Elias, Executive Director

Before long, winter will be behind us. Snow banks will have melted, potholes will have been filled (at least we hope!) and spring will be on our doorsteps.   Another sure sign of spring is the rollout of our patient programs, beginning with Myeloma Awareness Month on March 1 , followed by the kick-off for our annual Multiple Myeloma March campaign , and then our 14 th Annual National Conference for patients and caregivers in April (see the details below).

This year, the Conference will be held in Toronto on April 27 and 28 and we will be launching our new and exciting Myeloma Monitor downloadable application .This will be an important tool for patients that will help them track, better manage, and store valuable information about their health.

Our mission, “ To improve the lives of Canadians impacted by myeloma through awareness, education, advocacy, support of clinical research and fostering an empowered myeloma community.” is the driving force behind everything we do.   Toward this end, and as you know, we run many fundraising initiatives throughout the year to help further myeloma research. This dedication to research is one of the key elements that differentiates us from other patient organizations here in Canada, and around the world. Not only do we support the important work being done by Canadian researchers across the country, but we are committed to keeping you informed of all new developments. If you have not already done so, I would encourage you to follow various news feeds, like the ones provided by Google or the Canadian News Wire. With research currently booming, it’s a great way to stay on top of breaking news in the myeloma research world. I’ve recently performed a web search to see how many new myeloma treatments/compounds are currently under development. I found 7 companies developing a total of 30 treatments! Some are at the very early stages, others are in late phases of development, and I counted at least 4 CAR-T therapies. What’s even more encouraging is that this is likely an underestimate… I only looked at companies that I know are involved in myeloma.

To be fair, not all of these treatments will make it through the lengthy drug development process, but they are a symbol of hope and may result in treatment options for patients in the near future. As a patient organization, we believe in supporting innovative research and doing everything we can to ensure that health policies (such as the Drug Pricing Regulations review by Health Canada and National Pharmacare) will not affect access to medications and will not hinder or jeopardize the ability to bring new treatments to patients who need them.   I was taught at a very young age that “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” So, I encourage everyone ‒ researchers, pharmaceutical companies, governments and patients ‒ to work together and look for practical solutions. Because those living with myeloma patients cannot wait.

Martine Elias Executive Director

Find out more about the 2019 Myeloma Canada National Conference here .

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