When North Vancouver’s Ryan Matches was met with a myeloma diagnosis in 2015 at the age of 49, he was left with the feeling that “it’s always supposed to happen to someone else”, a sentiment all too familiar that comes with a cancer diagnosis. Digesting the blow, he started to refocus his creative energy and began advocating through his blog called MultipleMyelomaMan: Mortal of the Story, where he has been documenting and sharing his story publicly ever since.

The conversations you have about cancer put you in a unique position to make a difference in people’s lives. It means using your voice and your actions to raise awareness on issues that matter most to you and becoming a leader in the cancer community.

Advocating can take on many forms. It can mean supporting those living with cancer through sharing your story and experiences, leading group discussions or offering peer-to peer support.

It can mean educating and raising awareness on key issues that matter most to you, such as early detection, shaping public policy, disparities in care, or educating the general public about cancer, to name a few. It can also mean advocating for research and clinical trials by participating in outreach and education programs about trials, participating in pharmaceutical ad boards and clinical trial protocol development, or staying up-to-date on research news and sharing new developments with your network.

Or finally, it can mean being a philanthropist through planning or participating in fundraisers, encouraging your network to support your cause, or volunteering your time for a cause or community.

Many people find cancer advocacy to be a positive and empowering experience. If you are interested in becoming a myeloma cancer advocate, start by finding opportunities that match your interests, skills, and abilities. It’s about finding the right platform to share your voice, and building a community and network to raise awareness.

Advocating for awareness, like your journey, is a reflection of who you are. If you love to write, it may seem natural to you to start a blog and share it. If you’re more of a verbal person, why not give a talk to people in your community about what myeloma is and what it’s been like navigating the disease? This can be as formal or informal as you like. If you’re comfortable in front of a camera, think about videoing yourself and creating your own vlog (video-based blog). Maybe you’re artistic and feel most natural painting, drawing or singing about your experiences. You can even hold a (virtual) vernissage and share your story, your way.

The opportunities are endless! Whatever your method, from blogger to podcaster, social media influencer, public speaker, or support volunteer, if you're discussing myeloma and want the public to be more aware of the different issues facing those affected by it, then you are a myeloma cancer advocate.

If you’d like to speak to us about different ways you can use your voice to advocate and create more awareness for myeloma, reach out to Michelle Oana, Myeloma Canada’s Director of Development and Community Relations at moana@myeloma.ca.