New campaign seeks to raise awareness of rare blood cancer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Each year, approximately 35,000 people are diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) in the United States.

While MM is often diagnosed in people over 60, Black people are typically diagnosed 5-10 years earlier than other ethnicities.

Although patients within Black communities are less likely to have a more aggressive form of the disease, they are twice as likely to die from MM because it often goes undetected until it has spread or progressed.

Tiffany Williams, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at 46, and Tricia Elam Walker, who lost her brother Guru to MM, joined Action News 5′s Amanda Hanson at the digital desk to talk about how early diagnosis, equal access to care and early treatment initiation are critical for Black patients to achieve better outcomes.

They also talked about a national campaign, That’s My WordTM, to drive awareness and better health outcomes for MM among Black communities.

Watch the full interview in the video player above.

Click here to sign up for our newsletter!

Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.

Copyright 2023 WMC. All rights reserved.