International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) Launches #MYelomaSTORY Campaign for Myeloma Action Month in March 2023

STUDIO CITY, Calif., Feb. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) at the forefront, Myeloma Action Month is held every year for the whole month of March to encourage individuals and groups to take actions that positively impact the myeloma community. This year the IMF invites YOU to take the action of storytelling.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

Stories evoke empathy and foster hope. They help us better understand ourselves and others. The IMF will engage the global myeloma community by sharing stories about members of the myeloma community who live well with myeloma and by prompting others to share their stories.

Yelak Biru, President and CEO of the IMF and a 27-year myeloma survivor, shares his story to inspire others to do the same: “As a young immigrant from Ethiopia, a new husband, and graduate student, I learned I had multiple myeloma at the age of 26. While the road of living with myeloma has not always been smooth, it has been paved with many valuable lessons along the way. One of those lessons is that we must learn to live with, and not for, myeloma. This Myeloma Action Month, I ask you – as patients, care partners, and anyone who has been touched by this incurable disease – to share how you live well and not for myeloma.” Biru’s call to action is just one example of the many ways the IMF will prompt individuals and groups to share their stories on social media with the hashtag #MYelomaSTORY.

Help the IMF spread myeloma awareness on a global scale by using the hashtag #MYelomaSTORY, on all social media channels — Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Using the #MYelomaSTORY hashtag, all related posts will be displayed on the IMF’s digital “Wall of Stories” at the Myeloma Action Month website: mam.myeloma.org.

How can you get involved in Myeloma Action Month?

Take Action

• Join the movement and take action for myeloma by using the MAM website photo uploader in mam.myeloma.org. All you need to do is upload a photo of your chosen action, put a caption to it, and then share with the community through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Your image will automatically include the hashtag #MYelomaSTORY in your post.
• The IMF will provide story-based infographics that share stats and facts based on firsthand experiences from patients and care partners in the myeloma community. These graphical prompts will be all IMF social media channels. Follow along each day at facebook.com/myeloma to respond to these prompts and share your stories.
• Visit mam.myeloma.org to watch an international video mash-up featuring members of the global myeloma community answering the question: “Tell us in one word, what is your myeloma story?”
• Donate to the IMF to support research, education, support, and advocacy.
• Download myeloma facts, stats, and other graphics to share on social media and help further our reach from this Social Media Toolkit.
• Get inspired with guest blogs from patients and their care partners on the sentiment of “living with—and not for—myeloma”
• Change your Facebook profile image and Twitter profile image to the MAM logo.
• Download this Patient Action Letter from IMF Chairman and Chief Science Officer Dr. Brian G.M. Durie, personalize it, and send it to general practitioners and internists. The letter spells out potential myeloma signs, symptoms, and diagnostic tests that can be used to educate healthcare providers who may not be as familiar with the disease.
• Find a virtual support group at myeloma.org/support-groups and join an upcoming meeting or start a support group in your local area by contacting Robin Tuohy, the IMF’s Vice President of Support Groups.
• Use this local MAM press release to develop a public service announcement (PSA) for a local newspaper, radio, or TV station. This can help increase awareness of myeloma and local support groups.

Participate and Learn

Sign up for and participate in the IMF’s scheduled virtual and/or in-person information programs for the whole month of March.

Join Us In-Person

3/4 See link for details.

IMF Regional Community Workshop — San Diego County, CA. This free, community-based event is in-person and has limited seating. Register today!

4/1 See link for details.

IMF’s M-Power Project — Charlotte, NC. This free, in-person community-based event will discuss health empowerment and will focus on awareness of multiple myeloma in the African American community.

3/17-3/18 See link for details.

IMF Patient and Family Seminar — Boca Raton, FL. This free, in-person event has limited seating. Register today!

Join Us Live on Facebook

3/22 @ 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET

IMF Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joseph Mikhael answers your questions in a special Q&A and shares his myeloma story.

3/7 @ 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET

IMF Nurse Leadership Board Member, Beth Faiman PhD, RN, MSN, APRN-BC, AOCN®, FAAN discusses living well with myeloma and shares her myeloma story.

Visit the IMF’s Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/myeloma

Experience and Nurture
The IMF is excited to share with you a 31-day wellness challenge. This year during March Action Month we work together, take accountability, in increase the visibility of Myeloma and take action through your #MYelomaSTORY and whole wellness within ourselves. Learn more about the Support Group Challenge here.

Thanks to the IMF’s MAM Sponsors 
The IMF is grateful to the following sponsors for supporting Myeloma Action Month: 2seventy bio, Amgen, Binding Site, Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK, Karyopharm Therapeutics, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, and Takeda Oncology.

For additional information about Myeloma Action Month, please visit: mam.myeloma.org.

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 global 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
Instagram: @imfmyeloma
Facebook: @myeloma
LinkedIn: International Myeloma Foundation