2026 MAM Global Campaign Demonstrates the Spirit of #MoreThanMyeloma
Over 60 million in 96 countries celebrate resilience, strengthen connections, and inspire hope
By Peter Anton, IMF Vice President, Marketing
As the 2026 Myeloma Action Month (MAM) annual global awareness campaign came to a close, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) was truly grateful for the incredible support that helped make the event a worldwide success – reaching over 60 million on social media across 96 countries!
Every March, the IMF leads the MAM patient and care partner advocacy-driven program that sparks action to raise awareness, promote education, build community, and create change to benefit people with myeloma. During MAM, the global myeloma community of patients, care partners, healthcare providers, and supporters come together to share personal stories, inspire action, and raise awareness of this little-known blood cancer.
Taking action
During this year’s Myeloma Action Month, the IMF encouraged members of the myeloma community to demonstrate their spirit through the #MoreThanMyeloma global social awareness campaign by sharing how they are living with and not for myeloma. More than 60 million people were reached on social media!
Beyond the numbers, this year’s #MoreThanMyeloma global campaign celebrated progress, resilience, and hope through shared posts on the MAM Wall of Action. This active participation helped raise awareness, created positive change, and encouraged action in the fight against myeloma.
Celebrating progress
According to IMF President & CEO Heather Cooper Ortner, “Myeloma Action Month is more than a campaign – it is a global movement that reflects the strength and determination of the myeloma community. The powerful engagement we’ve seen through #MoreThanMyeloma reinforces that patients are living full, meaningful lives beyond their diagnosis. At the IMF, we are driven by this momentum to continue advancing research, expanding education, and advocating for equitable access to care until no one faces myeloma alone.”
IMF Director for the Global Myeloma Action Network (GMAN) and European & Middle Eastern Patient Programs Serdar Erdoğan had this to say about the global campaign: “Behind every diagnosis is a life, a story, and a strength that goes far beyond the disease. It’s not just about surviving – it’s about living fully, being seen, and being heard. Progress lights the way, hope fuels the fight, and our lives shine brighter than any diagnosis. During Myeloma Action Month and World Myeloma Day (March 26), we stand for hope, resilience, and a future where every voice matters.”
Events throughout MAM 2026
Lighting the World Red
To signify the global signal of unity, progress, resilience, and hope, 252 major landmarks across 108 cities in 17 countries were lit in red to honor all people impacted by myeloma. In the U.S., oncology centers and MAM partners across the country illuminated their campuses in red to show support. Members of the myeloma community also participated by illuminating their own homes, offices, and community spaces.
Across the globe, Global Myeloma Action Network (GMAN) member organizations lit the world red all month long, culminating on March 26th, in celebration of World Myeloma Day. Major landmarks across the globe – in Canada, South America, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, and all over Europe participated to send a clear message: being in solidarity with those impacted by the disease and signifying that they are #MoreThanMyeloma. See which landmarks showed their support through the MAM Global Map on myelomaactionmonth.org, and see the front cover of this edition of Myeloma Today for an image from this event.
Facebook LIVE Q&A sessions
The IMF hosted Facebook LIVE Q&A events with key figures in the myeloma community, including healthcare professionals and educators. Expert insights were shared about myeloma treatments, side effect management, and living well with myeloma – and questions from participants were answered in real time.
- Q&A with Dr. Joseph Mikhael and Dr. Melissa Alsina
- Q&A with Dr. Sagar Lonial
You can replay both recordings at videos.myeloma.org by clicking the Facebook LIVE tab.
In this edition of Myeloma Today, Dr. Mikhael shares the remarkable progress in the treatment options available to today’s patients and Dr. Saad Usmani discusses one of the promising clinical trials that may further expand these options in the near future.
Boca Raton Patient & Family Seminar
On March 13–14, the IMF held its annual Patient & Family Seminar in Boca Raton, Florida. Sessions presented at this highly successful and well-attended event included Hot Topics in Myeloma; Myeloma 101: The Big Picture Perspective with Q&A; Navigating Insurance and Medical Bills; Myeloma 202: Immunotherapy Made Simple, Understanding Clinical Trials, and much more. Another highlight was a Fireside Q&A Chat on What is the Future of Myeloma with Dr. Carl Ola Landgren and Dr. Joseph Mikhael. Patients, care partners, and family members were genuinely grateful for the learnings they gained from world-renowned myeloma experts while bonding with others in the myeloma community. Faculty presenters were equally excited about sharing the latest information and direct interaction with the myeloma community.
Miracles for Myeloma 5K Run/Walk
Myeloma Action Month is all about taking action, and we quite literally took strides for myeloma research with the IMF Miracles for Myeloma 5K Run/Walk, held on March 21 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California. The 5K Run/Walk encouraged everyone to participate in finding a cure for myeloma. The 5K Run/Walk brought together the local community to inspire, transform, and shift the narrative for patients and their loved ones – from a place of uncertainty to an embracing myeloma community, united in hope.
Many runners and walkers were there in person while others joined virtually from around the world. The IMF Miracles for Myeloma 5K Run/Walk raised more than $60,000 thanks to the incredible support from nearly 200 in-person and virtual participants, making it a special and collaborative global event. Please see the front cover of this edition of Myeloma Today for a photo of 5K Run/Walk participants.
The IMF extends its warmest thanks to the co-chairs of the Miracles for Myeloma 5K Run/Walk in Los Angeles: Dr. Murali Janakiram (Myeloma Specialist, City of Hope); Lani Beggs (8-year myeloma survivor); Donna Cunningham (Leader, San Fernando Valley Support Group); Malcolm Katz (Leader, San Fernando Valley Support Group and 17-year myeloma survivor); Todd & Diane Kennedy (Leaders, City of Hope-Duarte Support Group and 9-year myeloma survivor and care partner); Jackie Sarlitt (Leader, Orange County Support Group and 8-year myeloma survivor); and Mike Verla (Leader, Los Angeles Support Group and 12-year myeloma survivor).
Video billboard in Times Square
During the entire month of March, the IMF Myeloma Action Month digital billboards were displayed in Times Square at 42nd Street & 7th Avenue in New York City, New York. See photo on the front cover of this edition of Myeloma Today.
Myeloma Community Workshop
This in-person Myeloma Community Workshop took place on March 28 in Kansas City, Missouri.
“Hill Day” myeloma advocacy
During MAM, the IMF brought a group of myeloma advocates to Capitol Hill to ensure that the voices of the myeloma community are heard directly by policymakers in Washington, D.C. Myeloma patients, care partners, and advocates met with Members of Congress and their staff to share personal stories and deliver a simple but powerful message: We Are #MoreThanMyeloma. Beyond the month of March, the IMF continues to work to ensure that patient voices remain at the center of policy decisions.
2026 MAM is a global success
This year’s Myeloma Action Month #MoreThanMyeloma campaign shined a global spotlight on the people living with this disease. To drive awareness, we lit landmarks red around the world and ran a Times Square video display in New York City all day, every day throughout March.
At its core, the #MoreThanMyeloma campaign reflects the voices of those who are affected by myeloma; people living with this disease, not for it. The campaign connects their experiences to action, bringing more people into the conversation, supporting those navigating myeloma every day, and recognizing the progress being made for early detection, improved outcomes, and moving closer to a cure each and every day.
The IMF is honored and grateful to have partnered with GMAN member patient advocacy organizations from around the world to bring global attention to myeloma during Myeloma Action Month. Together, we made Myeloma Action Month a viral movement and showed the world the strength of the myeloma community!
The IMF is grateful to all of our sponsors for supporting the extremely successful 2026 Myeloma Action Month #MoreThanMyeloma global campaign:
Adaptive Biotechnologies, Amgen, Binding Site / Thermo Fisher, Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Karyopharm Therapeutics, Kite Pharma/Arcellx, Legend Biotech, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi
For additional information about Myeloma Action Month, please visit myelomaactionmonth.org.
(This article was originally published in the 2026 Spring Edition of the IMF's quarterly publication, Myeloma Today. Read the full publication here.)