Susie Novis-Durie, founder and president of the International Myeloma Foundation, with Linda Huguelet, myeloma patient
For the 6th consecutive year, Linda Huguelet, co-leader of the Chattanooga Multiple Myeloma Networking Group, is joining over 20,000 hematologists and healthcare professionals from around the world at the 60th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, Ca. Dec. 1-3. Ms. Huguelet was selected by the International Myeloma Foundation from over 150 support group leaders in the United States. She will be one of 12 support group leaders on the IMF’s team this year.
While at the conference, Ms. Huguelet is being brought up-to-date on the latest research, therapies, and tools available to myeloma patients. In turn, she is reporting the news to patients back home, using social media tools like blogs, Twitter, and video. You can follow her on Twitter at @LindaMYELOMA.
The IMF is the oldest and largest organization dedicated to improving the life and care of myeloma patients around the world. Myeloma, also called multiple myeloma, is a cancer of cells in the bone marrow that affects production of red cells, white cells and stem cells and can damage bone. It’s currently incurable and is being contracted by an increasing number of people and is particularly affecting younger people.
Ms. Huguelet, a Signal Mountain resident, has been dealing with myeloma for over eight years and has taken numerous treatments since her diagnosis. Many myeloma patients, like Ms. Huguelet, are constantly on some type of therapy to keep the cancer under control. She changed treatments earlier this year and is being treated with a relatively new immunotherapy drug that was not even on the horizon in 2010 when she was diagnosed.
She said, “I am so thankful for the continued successful research that is bringing additional treatment options to veteran patients like me. There are a number of new methods of attacking myeloma being presented at the conference this year.”
She will pass along the highlights of the encouraging research taking place when the Chattanooga Multiple Myeloma Networking Group meets after the first of the year. The Chattanooga Multiple Myeloma Networking Group meets the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. Meetings are held at the Memorial Center for Cancer Support located next to Memorial Hospital.
Visit MyelomaChattanooga.org for more information on the group which provides information and support to patients and caregivers in the Chattanooga area.