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Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) Hosts First MMRF Patient Summit & 5K Walk/Run in Charlotte on October 14 & 15The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) will hold their first MMRF Patient Summit and MMRF TeamForCures 5K Walk/Run in Charlotte on Saturday, October 14 & 15, 2017. The Patient Summit is a free educational program designed to help patients and caregivers learn more about multiple myeloma, the second most common blood cancer, and how to optimize their journey with the disease. Program Chairs Manisha Bhutani, MD, Saad Usmani, MD, and Peter Voorhees, MD from the Levine Cancer Institute, will be joined by multiple myeloma experts who will discuss treatment options for all stages of the disease, clinical trials, and management of symptoms and side effects. The TeamForCures 5K Walk/Run is held across 13 cities and hosts 22,000 participants annually. In each city, the MMRF partners with myeloma treatment centers to educate and support patients and caregivers at the event. Dr. Saad Usmani and Dr. Reed Friend of Carolina Health Care will co-chair the 5K Walk/Run event and address the crowd. The MMRF Spirit of Hope Award will be presented to Jeff Monsein and Rachel Overcash who both recently climbed Mt. Fuji for the Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma program to promote awareness of multiple myeloma and raise funds to support multiple myeloma research. "At the MMRF, we recognize that patient-powered collaboration is the key to combatting this disease and improving outcomes. Educating patients is the best way to empower them to work together with their care team on therapy decisions, donation of their data, and participation in clinical trials. Uniting together with the myeloma community, raising awareness and funding, we can accelerate toward a cure," said Mary DeRome, Director Medical Communications and Education. The agenda will cover a myeloma disease overview, front line therapy, stem cell transplntation, relapsed/refractory disease, clinical trials, supportive care options, and hot topics in multiple myeloma. This free educational program will be held on Saturday, October 14th from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark Hotel - 5501 Carnegie Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28209. Visit https://www.themmrf.org/CharlotteSummit to register or contact Beth Ann Karlehag at [email protected]. The 5K race will be held at The Park Expo in Charlotte NC from 7:30 AM to 10:30 AM. To learn more and register, visit https://walkrun.themmrf.org/charlotte/ or sign up on race day. About Multiple Myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer of the plasma cell. It is the second most common blood cancer. An estimated 30,280 adults (17,490 men and 12,790 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with MM in 2016 and an estimated 12,590 people are predicted to die from the disease. The five-year survival rate for MM is approximately 49.6%, versus 31% in 1999. About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) was established in 1998 by identical twin sisters Kathy Giusti and Karen Andrews shortly after Kathy's diagnosis with multiple myeloma. Kathy and Karen soon learned that little progress against this disease had been made in decades, and that myeloma patients had few treatment options. They decided that it was time to accelerate change. Working with its partners in industry, research, government agencies, and academia, the MMRF has helped launch ten new treatments in the past decade, an achievement that has almost tripled the life expectancy for myeloma patients. As a patient-founded organization, the MMRF stands with those who are battling multiple myeloma-patients, families, caregivers, doctors, and researchers-and is focused squarely on speeding the discovery of a cure. We see a world where every person has precisely what he or she needs to prevent or defeat multiple myeloma. As the multiple myeloma community's most trusted source of information, the MMRF supports patients from the time of diagnosis throughout the course of the disease. Since its inception, the organization has raised over $350 million and directs nearly 90% of the total funds to research and related programs. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
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