Once again, Ron Surry will be at the head of the pack on Saturday as he leads the second annual Enderby Multiple Myeloma March.
Myeloma Canada’s signature fundraiser takes place at Riverside RV Park, and myeloma survivor Surry will lead the five-km walk/run which raises funds and awareness about multiple myeloma, an incurable form of cancer affecting the plasma cells in the bone marrow.
When Surry was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2014, he sprung into action.
“People didn’t know what multiple myeloma was — they thought it was skin cancer when it is actually blood cancer,” he recalls. “I wanted to raise awareness in my community.”
Now a three-year survivor, Surry started support groups for patients, caregivers and their families in Enderby and Kelowna. He also spearheaded the province’s first two Multiple Myeloma Marches in 2016 in benefit of Myeloma Canada, a non-profit charitable organization created by and for people living with multiple myeloma. Since last year, Myeloma Canada has dedicated funds raised through its Multiple Myeloma March to the Myeloma Canada Research Network (MCRN), a platform that brings together world-class myeloma researchers in 24 centres across nine provinces. The MCRN develops and supports Canadian-designed clinical trials nationwide, and collects data for its innovative national database.
“The MCRN, which was born out of a patient organization, has become indispensable to doing good quality research that is not primarily industry-driven,” says Dr. Greg Dueck, principal investigator of BC Cancer Agency for the Southern Interior. “Patients living with multiple myeloma often go through multiple standard therapies, which is why offering accelerated access to innovative, and in some cases breakthrough, treatment options not currently reimbursed by any public health plan in Canada is so crucial.”
Every day, seven Canadians are diagnosed with multiple myeloma with an average diagnosis for people in their mid-60s.
“Despite a growing prevalence, myeloma remains relatively unknown,” says Aldo Del Col, co-founder and chairperson of Myeloma Canada. “This is why there is an even greater need for early awareness programs to promote timely diagnosis.”
Despite his own mobility issues caused by the disease, Surry is excited to lead the March for a second year.
“Some patients become housebound because of multiple myeloma,” he said. “The March is the perfect occasion to get out there. It brings us together, like a family.”
The Multiple Myeloma March will be held this month in 17 communities across the country.
Join Surry at the second annual Enderby Multiple Myeloma March Saturday at 11 a.m. at Riverside RV Park, 112 Kildonan Ave. Last year, the march raised $3,000. This year, organizers have set the fundraising goal at $5,000.
Created in 2005, Myeloma Canada is a non-profit, charitable organization created by and for people living with multiple myeloma, a relatively unknown cancer of the plasma cells and is exclusively devoted to the Canadian myeloma community. As a patient-driven, patient-focused grassroots organization, Myeloma Canada is dedicated to accelerating access to game-changing therapies for Canadians living with myeloma.
For more information, please visit myeloma.ca.