It was a tremendous honor to attend the American Society of Hematology (ASH) conference again this year. The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) was the first organization to ever sponsor patients at this conference. They have always understood how important it is for myeloma patients to be educated about the disease and their treatment options. A […]

In 2000 when I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, I was informed that the life expectancy was 2-3 years. Being only 36 years with a young family, I feared my children (then ages 2 and 7) would not even remember me. Over the years, I’ve had many experiences of living with myeloma: some good, some challenging, but […]

Hello everyone, since it’s that time of year when we are thinking about “All of Our Favorite Things,” I thought it would be nice to share with you just a glimpse of some of my favorite things from at ASH. These are in no particular order, except chronological, so I can think about each day’s […]

Although the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) has come and gone, what I  experienced as a patient representative will last a lifetime. The sheer vastness of the Meeting and Exposition leaves me in wonder. As I walked through the hallways, I saw the many media outlets interviewing doctors and patient […]

My pre-ASH19 blog was titled the Magic of ASH, comparing ASH to the magic of Disney. As I reflect on my ASH 2019 experience, I once again am reminded of a Disney comparison. Disney Behind the Scenes is a 7-hour tour that gives customers the experience of learning what it takes to bring the magic […]

“Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil It, broil it, bake it, sauté it. Dey’s un, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp […]

The 61st ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition is over. I’m home in Idaho now, and missing the warm sunshine of Orlando. And the warm and friendly camaraderie of the International Myeloma Foundation’s team of support group leaders. I saw many things that amazed me during my first experience at #ASH19. Thousands of people all trying […]

Immunotherapy was front and center at this year’s American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) meeting. There even was an Education Session presented by Drs. Shah, Cohen and Borello on this topic. When I first attended the ASH Annual Meeting in 2012, immunotherapy was still in its infancy. The treatments that were being examined in clinical trials back […]

Each year at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meetings, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) presents a program entitled “Living Well with Myeloma and the 2020 Brian D. Novis Grant Awards Reception.”  In 1995 the IMF established the Brian D. Novis Research Grant program in memory of its co-founder. The grants are awarded annually to promote […]

One of the late-breaking abstracts presented by Dr. Saad Usamani compared Kyprodlis and dexamethason (Kd) with Kd and daratumumab. There were many trial results that were presented at ASH that showed Dara makes many drugs better. Combining Dara with KRd seems to result in an “unprecedented” level of response and MRD negative response for newly […]