Spring/Summer 2022
A publication of the IMF recognizing our supporters
Redefining Being Together
Linking Together with Love 3
Y STORY – My family’s Decade-Long Run 3 M
ar Showmanship for the Cause 6 C
Also in this issue: Celebrating Our Member Fundraisers 8
FOUNDER
FOUNDER
Brian D. Novis
Susie Durie
IMF Staff Yelak Biru President & Chief Executive Officer
Dear Myeloma Warriors, Now in our 15th year of publication, it is an honor to share with you this year’s edition of Making Miracles. Yet again, it’s been another remarkable year, with so many examples of resiliency in the myeloma community that continue to inspire all of us at the IMF, including through the member fundraisers you’ve created. As pandemic conditions continue to transition, we are so grateful for your patience, creativity, and commitment to designing and executing fundraising events that generate awareness, raise funds, and keep your loved ones safe. From gathering back together for golf tournaments and 5K runs, to connecting virtually through cooking classes and entertaining live streams, you are creating a bigger, stronger myeloma community. I think we’ve all learned in a variety of ways that we cannot be certain of what the coming year has in store, but I am optimistic that we will continue to have more expansive opportunities to spend time together again “in-person.” I also remain excited about the new ideas that have developed in the “virtual realm.” Both options allow for our IMFers’ passions and expertise to shine. How fortunate for us all! Regardless of what this year holds, I know our IMF community around the world will continue to inspire us. And when you’re ready to plan your first – or next – fundraiser, we’re here to help you brainstorm, including support in planning for in-person, virtual, or hybrid events that align with safety regulations and your own safety needs. You’re welcome to email me any time at sbattaglia@myeloma.org or call me at 800.452.CURE, ext.227. I truly look forward to hearing from you. With warmest regards and deep appreciation,
Dr. Brian G.M. Durie Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Joseph Mikhael Chief Medical Officer
Jennifer Scarne Chief Financial Officer
Lynn K. Green, Ed.D. Senior Vice President, Philanthropy
Diane Moran Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning Daniel Navid Senior Vice President, Global Affairs Lisa Paik Executive Vice President, Medical Affairs
sbattaglia@myeloma.org
Peter Anton Vice President, Marketing
Betty Arevalo Inventory Control Manager
Karla Lemus Assistant to Sr Director, Member Events
Suzanne Battaglia Senior Director, Member Events
Robin Levy Senior Director, Public Policy & Advocacy
Nancy Bruno Regional Director, Support Groups Kelly Cox Director, Support Groups and Sr Dir, Regional Community Workshops Danielle Doheny Director, Public Policy & Advocacy Susie Durie Director, Global Patient Initiatives Serdar Erdoğan Director, GMAN and European & Middle Eastern Patient Programs
Amirah Limayo Senior Research Project Coordinator Jason London Associate, MarCom & Web Jim Needham Publication Design Meghan O’Connor Coordinator, Meetings & Programs Matthew Ohnsman Coordinator, Audio Visual Projects
Heather Fishman Donor Relations
Selma Plascencia Director, Operations
Jon Fitzpatrick Technology and Coordination, Support Groups
Annabel Reardon Senior Director, Strategic Program Management
Sherrie Guerrero Director, Human Resources
Joy Riznikove Database Analyst
Abigail Guzman Meeting Registration & Guest Relations
Miko Santos Web Producer
Brenda Hawkes Director, Development
Kelley Sidorowicz Regional Director, Support Groups
Paul Hewitt Coordinator, InfoLine Kevin Huynh Web Specialist Marya Kazakova Editor-in-Chief, Publications Ilana Kenville Assistant Director, Member Events
Phil Lange Accountant
800.452.CURE, ext. 227
Fatima Scipione Senior Vice President, Strategic Alliances and External Affairs
Robin Tuohy Vice President, Support Groups
Missy Klepetar Coordinator, InfoLine
Suzanne Battaglia Senior Director, Member Events
Mimi Choon-Quinones, PhD, MBA Senior VP, Global Advocacy, Access, Policy & Research
Sarah Solomon Donor Relations Brando Sordoni Accounting & Distribution Rafi Stephan Assistant to the President & Chief Executive Officer Judy Webb Coordinator, InfoLine Jonathan Weitz Donor Relations
IMF Board of Directors Chairman Dr. Brian G.M. Durie Christine Battistini Andrew Kuzneski, III Yelak Biru Dr. Robert A. Kyle Prof. Dr. Mario Boccadoro Prof. Dr. Heinz Ludwig Loraine Boyle Dr. Edith Mitchell Susie Durie Charles Newman Martine Elias Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar George T. Hayum Matthew Robinson Jason Katz Benson Klein E. Michael D. Scott
L
�
inking
ogether
WITH LOVE
“I am very goal driven – almost to the point of being stubborn.” This is how Chad Barto describes himself, and while we would describe him as hard-working and generous, we are also grateful that he has made use of his “almost-stubbornness” on behalf of the IMF. On August 15, 2021, Chad Barto and his then 15-year-old son Damon oversaw the Angela Dirks Barto Memorial Golf Tournament with the dedicated help of many family members and friends. The event honored the life of Chad’s wife and Damon’s Damon Barto and Chad Barto mother, called Angie by all who loved her, who was diagnosed with myeloma in 2017 and passed away in August 2019. “The entire disease did not make sense to me,” Chad shares. “Angie was a fitness junkie. She ate right, worked out constantly, she did triathlons, and even completed a half-iron man. Myeloma was just not a ‘normal’ fit for her being a healthy 42-year-old female.”
I told Angie’s story, and people were willing to help in any way they could.”
(top left) Jim Barto (Chad’s father) and Jack Dirks (Angie’s father) (top right) Sherri Barto (Chad’s mother), Annie Manning (Angie’s cousin),
Originally, Chad’s plan was to organize a fundraiser for summer 2020. Because of the pandemic, he put that on hold for a year, and was grateful that there were opportunities for gathering in summer 2021. Golf was a clear choice, both for pandemic safety and for Chad’s inclinations. “I have been an avid golfer for years and I have played in numerous golf tournaments,” he explains. And while he had never overseen a significant fundraiser before, he was confident doing so in the golfing realm. “I felt I knew what was going to be expected to make the event great for the golfers and work as a successful golf fundraiser.”
of the people that were involved, these are the ones who did not leave until everything was finalized and cleaned up. (lower left) Jessica Barto (Chad’s cousin's wife), Julia Barto (Jessica’s daughter) (lower right) Heidi Fischer, Jen Harnish, Brie Root (3 of Angie’s close friends)
Kim Dirks (Angie’s sister), and Barb Dirks (Angie’s mother)
(middle photo) Family and Friends photo from the event. This was not all
“As her husband, I told Angie’s story, and people were willing to help in any way they could,” he says. Not to be overlooked is a fourth key element: People. Chad gives great credit to the family and friends who helped him secure auction items and sponsorships, plan details large and small, and oversee the day itself. By extension, he views this as advice for anyone planning a fundraiser. “You will not be able to do it alone,” he says. “Get a good core of people on the same page as you and start working towards your goal. Get the word out to as many people as possible and network.”
The key elements Chad identifies in his planning process were securing a venue, auction items, and sponsorships. The venue came rather naturally, because a friend of Angie’s family is the golf pro at Foxchase Golf Club in Stevens, Pennsylvania and was happy to help secure their facilities for their day. For auction items and sponsorships, Chad took a straightforward approach. 800.452.CURE (2873)
This network of people radiated out from Chad and Angie’s large circle of friends and their devoted families. Angie’s sister, Kim Dirks, has an additional vantage point too. In her 25-year career as an oncology nurse, she knows what myeloma’s impacts have been for many patients and their families. “It was very rewarding to see all the people who came together and donated for a very important fight,” Kim says. On a personal level she adds, “Having family and friends gather in one spot in honor of Angie's life was truly amazing.” (Continues on page 4)
3
International Myeloma Foundation
LInking Together– continued from page 3
Angie’s mother, Barbara Dirks, agrees. “I kept thinking that it would have made her so happy and proud to feel all that love,” Barbara shares. “And since this is for the IMF’s Making Miracles magazine, I’ll add that one of the miracles of that day was all of Chad’s hard work and dedication to the event.” For Chad, he looks back on the day and remembers it with “overwhelming joy.” Upwards of 175 people attended the Angela Dirks Barto Memorial Golf Tournament. Beyond the 18 holes of golf and the auction, the day-long event also included “mini-contests” along the way (such as “longest drive” and “closest to the pin”) as well as a dinner after the golf day was done.
(in the golf cart) Tammy Price and Traci Swisher (Angie’s cousins) (standing) Joey Dietrich, Nate Gibble, Matt Dietrich, Brandon Gibble
he had his eyes on a particular goal: funding a Brian D. Novis Research Grant. “If the research that a grant supports means developing better treatments, or even a cure, to help avoid what my family has had to endure, it is all worth it,” Chad says. He was also drawn to the opportunity the IMF creates for member fundraisers to present their grants directly to the researchers awarded. “I thought it would be a huge honor for my son to have that opportunity,” he shares.
Now, back to Chad’s self-assessed trend towards stubbornness. In selecting the IMF as the beneficiary of this fundraiser,
Indeed, the Angela Dirks Barto Memorial Golf Tournament did fund a Brian D. Novis Research Grant, with Dr. Leslie Crews as its recipient. “I set a goal of making the full grant from this one event, and we actually achieved it,” Chad says. “I feel grateful to be able to accomplish that task, and I also remember it could not have been done without the unbelievable support from all of the family and friends who helped.”
Chad Barto, Ryan Lefever (Angie’s sister's husband), Sherri Barto ( Chad’s mother), Kim Dirks (Angie’s sister), Barb Dirks (Angie’s mother)
�
�
nnovative�esearch
IMF MEMBER FUNDRAISERS
upport
In 2021, despite the barriers, IMF member fundraisers provided essential support for all of our programs, including the IMF’s Brian D. Novis Research Grants. These grants provide key funding for myeloma researchers worldwide who are leading the way in cutting-edge work for our community. Four wonderful IMF member fundraisers in 2021 made these grants possible.
Brian D. Novis Senior Research Award:
Laughs 4 Life Xabier Agirre, PhD Center for Applied Medical Research – University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain “Deciphering the epigenomic mechanisms of transformation from benign monoclonal gammopathies to symptomatic multiple myeloma”
Angela Dirks Barto Memorial Golf Tournament Leslie Crews, PhD University of California, San Diego – La Jolla, CA, USA
Brian D. Novis Junior Research Award:
“Tuning the innate immune multiple myeloma microenvironment by modulating IRF4” Making Miracles
14th Annual Czerkies Memorial Golf Outing Martina Chiu, PhD University of Parma – Parma, Italy “Dissecting the nutritional interaction between multiple myeloma and mesenchymal” 4
Miles for Myeloma 5K Alessandra Romano, MD, PhD University of Catania – Catania, Italy
“Defining a novel function for the post-translational modification ufmylation in the adaptive response to arginine deprivation in multiple myeloma” myeloma.org
� �� MY FAMILY’S
MY STORY:
ecade- ong
un
by Bobby Swier
My mother, Kathleen Swier, was diagnosed with myeloma in the winter of 2011. It’s one of experiences that is knee crippling and life altering. It has now been 10 years of her living with and battling myeloma each day. It’s also been 10 years now that “Kath’s Krew” has been a part of the Miles for Myeloma 5K Run/Walk to help bring awareness and raise money to find a cure. If you’ve ever had the chance to meet this amazing woman who is my mother, you know that quitting isn’t in her vocabulary! She is very sweet, funny, and has the ability to strike up a conversation with anyone… but don’t let that fool you! This woman is as tough as they Bobby Swier with parents come and will continue to win Kathleen and Bob Jr. Swier each day, waking up and making the most of it! That’s why our participation in the Miles for Myeloma 5K is such an obvious fit for us, year after year.
Kath’s Krew Team Photo
(Kathleen and Bob Jr.), my two sisters (Jenny and Jessy), and me, trying to decide on our team name. Apparently Jenny takes credit for “Kath’s Krew,” but in my memory it was a group effort!
“No One Fights Alone”.
We formed “Kath’s Krew” because right from the start, people were always asking what they could do to help with our mom. A fundraiser seemed like a great opportunity for everyone to be involved, but we were still blown away with the support we received our first year – and we’ve continued to have the largest team almost every single year we have done this. It’s become an amazing annual opportunity to see old friends, family members, coworkers, and many others. Each year after the race, I extend an open invitation to all who can make it to come back to my house afterwards for refreshments. I do it to embrace and thank all those who help show their support that day. In addition to the Run/Walk itself, our team has also expanded into selling “Kath’s Krew” clothing and spearheading raffles too – all of which also receives a lot of support and enthusiasm, as well as raises important funds.
Our family first became aware of this beloved fundraising event, which was established by the Philadelphia Multiple Myeloma Networking Group, in the spring of 2012 – very soon after my mother’s diagnosis. Without a doubt, we knew we’d be there. So we sat around as a family, my parents
Now 10 years into my mother’s diagnosis and our participation in the Miles for Myeloma 5K, the best advice my family can give someone who’s thinking of doing an IMF fundraiser is: Just do it! And from our family to yours: No One Fights Alone.
Kath’s Krew Team Photo 2019 800.452.CURE (2873)
5
International Myeloma Foundation
arming ll of s � � �
WINTER HATS
Laurie Hinze epitomizes the IMF’s encouragement to take what you love and transform it into a fundraiser. An avid knitter, in 2013 she began selling winter wares at a Holiday Boutique hosted by the 50-story office building where she worked in downtown Minneapolis. Laurie, who was diagnosed with myeloma in 2010, noted that her friends and family immediately wanted to lend their support. By donating the proceeds of her winter knitting sales to the cause, they could do so while also buying holiday gifts – and keeping some warm goodies for themselves too. Her sales therefore extended beyond the office to an annual neighborhood gettogether as well.
Though shifting to online sales was born from necessity, she has also found it to be a wonderful way to expand her community of supporters – and therefore awareness of myeloma and the IMF. But the online sales also has not dampened the enthusiasm of her longer-term buyers. This past holiday season, she sold a large number of hats to a manager at her company, who wanted to provide them as gifts to her co-workers. Laurie was also touched by the number of individuals who in lieu of purchasing one of her hats, simply made a donation to the cause.
When holiday season 2020 was upon her, Laurie knew in-person sales were not feasible. She contacted the IMF to discuss shifting online. “The IMF staff was so helpful,” Laurie reports. For winter 2021, she refined her process further, with Laurie’s Winter Hat Boutique focusing on one hat pattern offered in many colors. It helped her streamline her knitting and encouraged buyers to purchase multiple varieties.
For holiday season 2022, Laurie plans on adjusting her timing and her marketing to ensure she is capturing as many buyers as she can. She enjoys making these year-to-year improvements, but her advice to others thinking about planning a fundraiser is simple: “Do something you enjoy putting together and working on.”
for the� ause
CAR SHOWMANSHIP Shortly after her myeloma diagnosis in 2013, Karen Foster attended a car show that was supporting a local business. Before the day was over, Karen and her family were inspired to create a similar event in support of the myeloma community.
Karen reports. “That tells us our name is getting out there amongst the car people.”
For “the car people,” the Guys & Gears Charity Car Show distributes a variety of awards voted on by the participants, who pay an entry fee before parking as their contribution. To emphasize awareness, Karen also created a Myeloma Survivors Award, which is voted on by fellow myeloma community members.
Eight years later, the Guys & Gears Charity Car Show is still going strong – so strong, in fact, that it had moved to a bigger and more visible venue in 2017 and on October 2, 2021 had its largest turnout ever. “We had the most cars we have ever had,” Making Miracles
6
myeloma.org
� ll theR age
SUPPORTING THE IMF IS “I am just there to make people smile and laugh,” says Geoff Miller, who by the name SuperKingNerd has created a Twitch community called the Kingdom that has been growing in followers, fans, and fellow game players since 2017. But when his grandfather, Ray, passed away in December 2020, Geoff felt bereft. He lived in Ohio while the rest of his family was in California, and due the pandemic it wasn’t possible to be with them.
Geoff had “only a mere 500 followers – much smaller than I am now.” So he set a small campaign goal. “I never anticipated what then happened,” he says. “Within the first halfhour of that charity stream, we hit the full goal that I had set for the entire 20 hours I had scheduled. The fact that my community did that in our first ever year is something that genuinely made me so honored.”
“That was when I decided to honor my grandfather and celebrate his life in a different way,” he says. For Geoff, that meant using Twitch and connecting it to a myeloma community he could support in the process. He observed that the IMF had been involved in previous Twitch-based fundraisers, so he reached out and was happy when the IMF heartily offered its support.
For his March 2022 event, Geoff planned with bigger goals, including a longer stream, upgraded marketing, three Twitch co-host partners (YourPalProtoGal, CWDevarian, and NerdyNanny), and more giveaways. He also sought more opportunities for direct myeloma education and awareness, and therefore invited Ilana Kenville, the IMF’s Assistant Director of Member Events, to do a live-stream interview.
“My first ever Raging for Ray event is something I’ll always cherish,” Geoff now reflects. It took place in March 2021, when
Geoff is basking in this year’s success while also looking ahead. “I will always make sure I do this,” he says. “I love doing this event and raising money to support the IMF. I look forward to March of next year!”
Car Showmanship – continued from page 6
Karen places great value on this myeloma community. In 2020, she shifted the fundraiser to benefit the IMF to ensure that the dollars raised directly benefit the cause. In particular, Karen notes: “The IMF helps support groups out with information and is a great support to all of us.” She is quick to attribute the fundraiser’s longevity and growth to a dedicated volunteer team, including her husband John, her daughter Casey and son in-law Bryan, a passionate group of additional family and friends (some of whom travel from out-of-state), and fellow members of the Kansas City Multiple Myeloma Family Support Group. They help secure event sponsorships and raffle prizes, as well as operationalize everything on the day. 800.452.CURE (2873)
Karen and her team are hard at work planning their October 1, 2022 event. As always, she’s looking forward to talking to all of the myeloma community members who attend, “and of course the car guys who support us every year,” she adds. “Lots of things go into putting on a show, but we always seem to pull it off!” 7
International Myeloma Foundation
�
A CELEBRATION OF
ember
In 2021, our Member Fundraisers raised valuable funds for myeloma research, education, and support – all while extending myeloma awareness. These wonderful events also celebrated perseverance while creating ways for our friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to come together. Sometimes these events allowed us to safely gather in person. Other events created opportunities to virtually connect us, all around the world. The IMF remains profoundly grateful to everyone who oversaw fundraisers, and to everyone who attended and supported them. They serve as an inspiration for all of us in 2022 and beyond.
Annual Walk for Myeloma Miracles and the Miles for Millie Half Marathon run by Ryan Dougherty.
As always, IMF Member Fundraisers are on the move. In 2021, Bill Hatfield embarked on his Hike for a Cure, Joy Mays led Schleicher’s Hikers 5K Walk/Run, the IMF Member Fundraiser Program coordinated the amazing teams participating in Miles for Myeloma 5K (see page 5), and Miracles for Myeloma 2021 was overseen by Ron & Sheree Pask and Gina Klemm. We were also inspired by Chris Meier’s running of the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon, Pam Poliakoff ’s
After all of that sporting prowess, IMFers deserve a good meal. That was provided to us by Ruth Hairston’s Planting Seeds of Hope luncheon, as well as by a Virtual Cooking Class for the Cure organized by Lori Klein and Betsy Mencher. Beauty and fashion are also reasons to celebrate, as brought to us by Heather Fishman’s Color Street Nails Fundraiser and Laurie’s Winter Hat Boutique, as stitched together by Laurie Hinze (see page 6).
Making Miracles
Andy Sninsky took on the vastness of our lands with Bicycle Mojave and Beyond. Doug Farrell took on the vastness of our seas with Captain Turner’s Ocean Swim. Our golfers took on the vastness of those fairways – and the peskiness of those putting greens – with the Czerkies Family’s Czerkies Memorial Golf Outing, Chad Barto’s Angela Dirks Barto Memorial Golf Tournament (see page 3), and the Support Sheldon Golf Tournament overseen by Maurice Pierre.
8
myeloma.org
�
undraisers in2021
No winter clothes were necessary for the Hawaiian Retreat for Two, Amy Klitsner’s raffle of her tropical home. Laughter kept us warm with Kent Oliver’s Laughs 4 Life comedy night. We also felt the warm glow from Charlie Eddins’ Heritage Singers and the generosity of Charlotte Norman’s Charity Tots preschool fundraiser. Karen & Jon Foster’s then got our engines revving with the Guys & Gears Charity Car Show (see page 6).
Other generous IMFers used the virtual realm to honor milestones, create community, and generate awareness. Brenda Riggs and the Southeastern Virginia Multiple Myeloma Networking Group banded together with Ten to Win the Fight. Lucy Safir’s 85th Birthday Fundraiser was created in memory of her son, Joel Safir. Ronnie Maynard’s Birthday celebrated her special day. Elissa Petrucelli Anticev and John Anticev organized Honoring the Mooneys in appreciation of Laura and Charlie Mooney and their 50th wedding anniversary.
High energy was also a hallmark of the Twitch fundraising events livestreamed on the IMF’s behalf, featuring an abundance of creative games, activities, challenges, and entertainment. Amelia Donlin created Amelia D’s Twitch Livestream. Geoff Miller spearheaded Raging for Ray (see page 7). Abhitha Naidu and the Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity produced Charity Rumble: Myelo-no-more! Josiah Philipsen brought us More Memories With Mom. Josephine McAdams, Forrest Shaw, and Jen Curran hosted the #KNOWMYELOMA Variety Show.
Maybe you want to spread the joy of a milestone celebration or plan a hike on a path not yet taken. Maybe you’re thinking about who you might join in a virtual adventure or for a backyard dinner party.. . All of it can be turned into a fundraiser for the IMF! We’re here to inspire you, and help you plan safe and fun events during still ever-changing times. Please reach out to Suzanne Battaglia at SBattaglia@myeloma.org or 800.452.CURE ext. 227 to start making your daydreams into something special for our entire community!
C onsider� oining the
HOPE SOCIETY� oday!
Help us cultivate the future by joining the International Myeloma Foundation’s Hope Society. Monthly gifts starting at $10 support IMF core programs, including educational events, publications, the toll-free InfoLine and more! Learn more at hopesociety.myeloma.org New members can select a limited edition Hope Society gift as a thank you for joining! Ready to join? Contact Jonathan Weitz at 818.487.7455 x254 or jweitz@myeloma.org
800.452.CURE (2873)
9
International Myeloma Foundation
and� o
�
THE IMF JOINS TWITCH... by Ilana Kenville Associate Director of Member Fundraisers
an� ou!
charity stream for the IMF, sometimes it’s patients, sometimes doctors. It’s always a great time for me to spread awareness to larger Twitch community that may not have never heard of multiple myeloma or the IMF.
A few years ago, I was introduced to Twitch by Gary McAdam, an IMFer whose daughter, actress Josephine McAdam, was and still is a very popular Twitch streamer (@jcvim). At the time, Josephine was hosting her first fundraiser on behalf of the IMF using this medium. When Gary Ilana Kenville, Twitch Host brought this to my attention, my first thought was, “What exactly is Twitch?” I had heard of it but was only vaguely aware of what it is – and knew nothing of the intriguing opportunities it presented.
Just as wonderfully, spreading the awareness comes easily. On Twitch you can do it simply by having fun. I play games with my guests and with our audience, including Jackbox games, which are interactive for any participants who are watching the stream. One example is “Drawful 2,” which challenges players to use ridiculous prompts to draw things on their smartphones or tablets – and then we get to guess what their images are. I’ve also developed our “signature” segment called “The Fast Five,” in which I ask the same five rapid-fire questions to each of our weekly guests. It’s always interesting to see how each guest’s answers vary. It’s an hour of true fun and learning.
I started investigating. Twitch is where millions of people virtually gather live every day to chat, interact, play games, and make their own entertainment together. It was eye opening to see how successful Twitch was, what a huge audience it had, and how much incredible content there was to watch and engage with. I also learned that Twitch had been purchased by Amazon, and we all know that success story.. . So I started to look hard at Twitch and what its possibilities were for the IMF, just as several more IMF member fundraisers were also taking place on the platform. I became inspired to establish the IMF’s own Twitch channel: @imfmyeloma. Every Thursday at 4PM Pacific Time we go live and have a great time for an hour. Think of it as the IMF’s streaming talk/variety show with me as your friendly host. I invite on guests who have a connection to the myeloma world. Sometimes it’s fellow streamers who have hosted a
Twitch Host Ilana Kenville, with Special Guests Dr. Joseph Mikhael MD, MEd, FRCPC and Patient Thomas Goode
What I’ve learned through the IMF’s own weekly livestream is that Twitch opens the door to lively new possibilities for our fundraising, events, and community-building. It’s a wonderful way to spread awareness and to create support. If you are interested in learning more about creating your own Twitch event – or are interested in being a guest on the IMF’s show – please contact me at ikenville@myeloma.org. In the meantime, we hope you’ll join us in the audience next Thursday at 4PM Pacific. Tune in at www.twitch.tv/imfmyeloma! Making Miracles
10
myeloma.org
FreeWill + International Myeloma Foundation Protect what matters most You can gain peace of mind, protect what you love, and create a better future for those with Multiple Myeloma in less than 20 minutes. One easy way to do just that is to write a legal will with FreeWill.com and create your lasting legacy with the International Myeloma Foundation. Nearly 70% of American adults don’t have one, but it’s essential to plan for your future, and protect the people and causes you love.
Visit FreeWill.com/Myeloma to start your legacy today!
Shop for the Cause! Whether you shop on Amazon for special occasions or for your daily needs, please designate the International Myeloma Foundation as your preferred charity. At no added cost to you, Amazon will donate to the IMF a percentage of your purchases if you access your account through smile.amazon.com – IT’S THAT SIMPLE!
Get a Tax Benefit
Donate a Vehicle to International Myeloma Foundation
Same products. Same prices. Same service.
smile.amazon.com
• Any Vehicle – Running or Not • Free, Convenient, Fast • CARS does all the work for you!
Visit myeloma.org/vehicle-donation or call (877) 999-8322 for questions or to get started
The IMF thanks you! 800.452.CURE (2873)
11
International Myeloma Foundation
IMF �roducts
Printed in U.S.A. ©2021, International Myeloma Foundation
4400 Coldwater Canyon Avenue, Suite 300 Studio City, CA 91604 USA 818.487.7455 myeloma.org Change Service Requested
Your contribution for these items will help us provide critical education, research and support, raise awareness and show support for myeloma patients worldwide, and help us in our mission to improve the quality of life of myeloma patients while working toward prevention and a cure.
M yeloma Warrior Wrist Bands (10-pack for $10) D o You #Know Myeloma Embroidered Hat ($18) M yeloma Warrior Heart Lapel Pin ($5) R ibbon of Hope Lapel Pin ($5) M yeloma Warrior Crew Sweatshirt, Dark Grey ($40) M yeloma Warrior Crew Sweatshirt, Heather Grey ($40) M yeloma Warrior Hooded Sweatshirt, Dark Grey ($40) M yeloma Warrior Hooded Sweatshirt, Heather Grey ($40) M yeloma Warrior Men’s T-Shirt ($40) M yeloma Warrior Women’s T-Shirt ($40)
All merchandise can be viewed and/or ordered from our website at shop.myeloma.org