If you’re living with multiple myeloma, you’re already aware of the impact blood cancer can have on your life. However, chances are strong that other people in your orbit don’t know as much as they could about the disease. That’s why it’s important to raise awareness for this condition — particularly in March, which is Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month.

It can be hard when your friends and family don’t know what you’re going through. It can also feel difficult to say no to loved ones who don’t understand your situation. You might worry about how your relationships will be affected.

Raising awareness about myeloma is important because it helps your friends, family, and caregivers better understand how to support you.

Start by Raising Your Own Awareness

Before you can create public awareness by sharing information with others, it’s good to make sure that you understand the specifics of myeloma. Learning more about myeloma’s causes, signs and symptoms, and treatment options can help you explain the condition to the people in your life.

Multiple myeloma develops when a plasma cell (a type of white blood cell) becomes cancerous. Plasma cells form in the bone marrow and produce antibodies that help the body fight infection. In people with myeloma, plasma cells develop abnormalities in their genes. This may lead them to grow out of control and build up in the bone marrow, forming tumors.

Raising awareness about myeloma is important because it helps your friends, family, and caregivers better understand how to support you.

In most cases, multiple myeloma can’t be cured. However, new medications and regimens have proved quite effective. This means that, for many people, myeloma is a chronic condition that can be managed with treatment. Some myeloma medications are so new that long-term data is not yet available. But, it’s important to note that survival rates for people with multiple myeloma continue to improve.

Share Awareness Resources

After you’re armed with information about myeloma, you can share it with others for Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month. The fastest and least expensive way to support cancer awareness efforts is through social media. You can post information about myeloma, share details about the condition, and join communities of people who are also working to raise awareness about myeloma.

For example, you can share messages from the International Myeloma Foundation on Facebook or Instagram. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society also offers information booklets you can share.

To ensure your social media messages reach as many people as possible, consider using a relevant hashtag, such as #MyelomaAwareness or #MyelomaAwarenessMonth. This way, your posts will be seen by more people who have the same interests. They may also be more likely to share and comment.

You can walk or run for myeloma, play bingo, participate in fundraisers, or even create a unique event that works for your interests.

In addition to helping raise awareness for the condition, engaging through social media also allows other people with myeloma to realize they aren’t alone. Joining a myeloma community on social media, such as MyMyelomaTeam, can also help you connect with others.

Participate in Awareness Activities

Another way to raise awareness about myeloma is to participate in an activity dedicated to the cause. You can walk or run for myeloma, play bingo, participate in fundraisers, or even create a unique event that works for your interests. You can help other people understand more about myeloma while having fun and raising money for the cause.

The fastest and least expensive way to support myeloma awareness efforts is through social media.

One MyMyelomaTeam member wrote about attending a myeloma awareness event last year: “It was so great to join the event for MM Awareness Month and to meet some of you!”

If you’re able, you can help fundraise by donating (or encouraging others to donate) to myeloma nonprofits. For example, donating to the International Myeloma Foundation helps to support myeloma research and cancer advocacy.

In addition, remember to practice self-care. It’s emotionally taxing to educate others about your lived experiences, so know your limits and accept when to put your mental well-being first.

Find Your Team

MyMyelomaTeam is the social network for people with myeloma and their loved ones. On MyMyelomaTeam, more than 27,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with myeloma.

How do you show your support for myeloma awareness? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.