March 19, 2026
From Awareness to Action
A Word from our CEO
For many years, March has been known as Myeloma Awareness Month. Awareness has played an important role in the journey of our community. It helped bring this complex blood cancer out of the shadows, helped Canadians better understand the realities of living with myeloma, and helped build the strong national community that exists today.
But over time, our community has grown, our science has advanced, and our expectations for what is possible have changed.
Awareness Alone is Not Enough.
Our community has always been one that moves forward and that is why today we call March Myeloma Action Month.
The change may appear subtle, but it reflects an important evolution. Awareness helped people understand myeloma and the challenges faced by those living with it. Today, that understanding must translate into something more powerful: action.
What Action Means
Action means advocating for faster and more equitable access to life-saving therapies.
Action means supporting research that brings us closer to better treatments and, ultimately, a cure. The scientific community is now beginning to consider that for some patients myeloma may one day be curable. The International Myeloma Society has introduced a new way of thinking about cure, recognizing that in some cases, patients who achieve deep, sustained remission for many years without relapse may effectively be considered cured. While we are not there yet for everyone, this shift reminds us how far the science has come and why continued research remains so essential.
For more information about the definition of cure, read “Myeloma and the C-Word — Curable: The Consensus Is In” in Blood Cancer Today.
Action also means empowering people living with myeloma and their families to raise their voices and influence the decisions that affect their care and their future.
Myeloma Canada’s History of Advocating for Action
At Myeloma Canada, advocacy has always been at the heart of our work. One idea I often repeat is this: you are only as good as what you will be doing tomorrow. What we accomplished yesterday matters and we should be proud of the progress our community has made. But advocacy is not something we do once. It is something we must continue to do every day. What truly counts is what we are doing today and what we will do tomorrow to improve the lives of people living with myeloma.
The spirit of action has been part of Myeloma Canada since its earliest days. When our co-founder Aldo Del Col was diagnosed with myeloma, he refused to accept that people living with myeloma should simply wait and hope for better outcomes. He believed patients had a role to play in shaping the future of research, advocacy, and care.
What began as the determination of a few individuals grew into a national movement dedicated to improving the lives of Canadians affected by myeloma. That same spirit continues to guide everything we do today.
[Photo: Winnipeg Sign lit red in 2026]
One of the most inspiring examples of what action can achieve began right here in Canada.
Several years ago, Jackey LaBossiere had the simple idea of lighting the Winnipeg sign red as a symbol of myeloma awareness. This grew over the years as landmarks across the country were lit red to bring visibility to myeloma. It was not a campaign designed in a boardroom. It began with patients and volunteers who reached out to their municipalities and local landmarks and asked them to shine a light on myeloma.
Slowly, communities across Canada began lighting landmarks red.
Today, that Canadian idea has grown far beyond our borders. The International Myeloma Foundation has embraced the initiative and is encouraging landmarks and monuments around the world to light up red during March in recognition of Myeloma Action Month.
To see something that started with Canadian patients become a global movement is remarkable. It speaks to the power of grassroots advocacy and to the determination of a community that refuses to remain invisible.
Myeloma Action Month 2026
This year, our Myeloma Action Month campaign is built around that same idea: each one of us can make a difference. Whether it is raising awareness in your community, advocating for better access to treatments, supporting research, or simply starting conversations about myeloma, every action helps move our mission forward.
[Photo: Volunteers in London, ON, showing their Myeloma Action Month spirit at Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre.]
That is why this March we are inviting everyone in our community to participate by wearing red and proudly holding our Action sign. It is a visible way of showing that we are united in calling for better access to care, stronger investment in research, and continued progress for everyone affected by myeloma.
This March, I encourage each of you to take part, raise your voice, and stand proudly with our community. Wear red. Hold the Action sign high. Start conversations and help us push for the changes our community needs. Learn more about how to participate in Myeloma Action Month 2026.
Myeloma Action Month reminds us that while we have made meaningful progress, there is still much more work ahead of us. But it also reminds us of the strength of this community and what we can achieve when we act together.
Aldo often used to say, “If you are not at the table, you are on the menu.” It was his way of reminding us that patients must have a voice in shaping the decisions that affect their lives.
Warmly,
Martine