Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

When I was in the seventh grade, my mom was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, which is a cancer of the blood.  There is currently no cure for Multiple Myeloma, but there are drugs to try and control the cancer.  It’s crazy how far away issues like this can seem until they come home.  She has gone through many different treatments and some have worked better than others.  She used to have to go into the doctor multiple times a week to receive different drugs and I would often go with her for support.  Perhaps the worst time was during my sophomore year when she was in the hospital for two weeks because of the cancer.  Since there is no cure for Multiple Myeloma, there has not yet been a resolution, but we continue to raise money to work to find a cure.  The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation hosts a Race for Research 5K walk/run on a Sunday in November every year.  My family and I have participated in this event for the past five years.  One year, I was the team captain for my team and we rose over $20,000 for research.  I did this by writing to family members and friends and explaining the cause and how I want to help find a cure for this cancer so nobody, including my mom, has to suffer from it.  I have also helped recruit over 120 team members each year for our team.  For the past four years, our team "G'Day Jill, Goodbye MM" has been the largest team at the Washington, DC Race for Research by about 30 people.