Our next meeting will be on Wednesday April 3rd at 7pm.
Dr. Cipkar from our Ottawa Hospital medical team
will talk about new developments in myeloma research and treatments both at The Ottawa General Hospital and nationally.
For more information this meeting of the Ottawa –Gatineau Community Network please contact:
Jean Shepherd at 613 277 4886; jean.shepherd@rogers.com or
Robin Sully at 613 622 5461; maplecrest2553@xplornet.ca
Our next meeting will be on Wednesday March 6th at 7pm. We will be joined by Tony Murdock from Wellspring who will present on
How mindfulness can help patients and care-partners
We would also like to remind you that March is Myeloma Awareness Month You may have received something from Myeloma Canada on how you participate in raising awareness.
We are already planning for this year’s Walk on September 22nd! Frank and Glenn are looking for volunteers to help with the event.
For those who registered for the February meeting, the same zoom link should work.
Our first meeting of 2024 will be on Wednesday February 7th.
We will be joined by Chantel Wicks (Ontario Regional Community Engagement and Development Manager from Myeloma Canada) will present on patients participation in their care.
For more information on the Ottawa –Gatineau Community Network please contact:
Jean Shepherd at 613 277 4886; jean.shepherd@rogers.com or
Robin Sully at 613 622 5461; maplecrest2553@xplornet.ca
Casey Comeau,
singer,
songwriter,
myeloma survivor.
Video created 2012.
Still standing.
Watch and be inspired.
The Ottawa Gatineau Myeloma Community Network had an active 2023 with several significant events including the following:
We held 9 virtual Network Zoom meetings. The last one in December was attended by ~ 45 people. A record! David McMullen, a patient currently on Car-T therapy, was the presenter. (David just provided us with a copy of his slides – please reply if you would like to receive them; he also mentioned there should be a video of a similar presentation he gave, posted on the Myeloma Canada web site in the near future.)
We had an in-person social meeting in June at Andrew Haydon Park.
March was Myeloma Awareness Month and a number of us attended a declaration ceremony hosted by Mayor Sutcliffe at City Hall dedicating March as Myeloma Month in Ottawa.
Steps to a Cure Myeloma Walk in cooperation with the Ottawa Hospital Foundation
Our Network also participated in several advocacy events in support of myeloma and Myeloma Canada activities including:
The Ontario Advocacy Committee
The Patient Advisory Committee which brings the patient voice to the Myeloma Canada Board;
The Scientific Round Table
In October we participated in a Legislative Action Day at Queens Park involving a number of meetings with Ontario MPPs and their assistants; our message was a request for more investment in research to benefit Myeloma (and other) cancer patients.
Next year promises to be equally exciting!
Details of upcoming meetings and some of the other events are given below. We look forward to you joining us.
2023 Ottawa-Gatineau Steps to a Cure Walk.
This was a very successful event with more people feeling comfortable enough to come out to the event in person. Dr. Cipra gave an opening address as well as representatives from Myeloma Canada and the Ottawa Hospital. We raised $56,000 which helps funds research towards new treatments and is split between the Ottawa Hospital and Myeloma Canada. A huge thank you to all who participated in this important event. Some photos from the walk are attached.
We have already booked the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Center for our 2024 walk, which will take place on September 22nd. So mark it on your calendar! Frank and Glenn are looking for volunteers to help promote and organize the walk, so let us know if you are interested.
2024 Spring Meeting Schedule
For those who are new, the Ottawa-Gatineau Multiple Myeloma Community Network invites Myeloma patients, family, caregivers and friends to our 2024 spring monthly information and sharing meetings. The mission of the Community Network is to provide hope and to empower Myeloma patients, family, caregivers and friends through education, advocacy, patient care and support and sharing experiences. The meetings will start at 7:00PM and last an hour and a half. Zoom details to join the meetings will be provided prior to each session. We look forward to “seeing” you!
Wednesday February 7th We will be joined by Chantel Wicks (Ontario Regional Community Engagement and Development Manager from Myeloma Canada) will present on patients participation in their care.
Wednesday March 6th Wellspring will present on How mindfullness can help patients and care-partners
Welcome to our first fall session.
Our first meeting is this Wednesday, September 13th –
Dr Sapru will meet with us to discuss developments in the treatment of myeloma and the important research being undertaken at the Ottawa General Hospital.
Frank and Glenn will also provide an update on our 2023 Walk Steps to a Cure which takes place on Sunday, September 24th and helps support research at the Ottawa General Hospital.
For more information on the Ottawa –Gatineau Community Network please contact:
Jean Shepherd at 613 277 4886; jean.shepherd@rogers.com or
Robin Sully at 613 622 5461; maplecrest2553@xplornet.ca
The Ottawa/Gatineau Myeloma Walk – Steps to a Cure is scheduled for Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 1 pm at the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre at Britannia Beach. Funds raised at our event are divided between Myeloma Canada and The Ottawa Hospital for myeloma research.
This year’s event will be an in-person event. While not mandatory, participants are encouraged to wear masks if they wish to do so. We also realize that some participants may still choose to continue to do a virtual walk as has happened over the past two years.
Registration for the walk is open on the Myeloma Canada website and you can make a donation as an individual or as part of a team at the link below and copies of the posters for the event are also attached.:
We are also seeking sponsors for the event from the business community. Should you know of any sponsors who would like to participate in this worthy cause, please let us know.
As we prepare for the walk we are in need of volunteers to help with a number of different activities. These include:
– Event Day Registration
– 50/50 ticket sales
– Security
– First Aid
– Music
– Set-up & Take-Down
If you are interested in helping with the event organization, please contact Glenn Hussey at 613-884-7783 or Frank Shepherd at 613-726-2912. We will arrange a Zoom call for volunteers later this month or in the first week of August.
Thank you in advance for your continued support and assistance of this important fundraiser in support of clinical research in our myeloma community.
Frank & Glenn
Co-Chairs, Steps to a Cure
We will be holding had our school year end meeting
in-person and outdoors
at Andrew Haydon Park (Carling Avenue, Ottawa)
Friday June 23rd , 2-4pm.
All are welcome!
This will be very informal so bring you own refreshments and/or masks as you wish.
We will send out a reminder with parking instructions etc next week – stay tuned! And enjoy the summer.
Myeloma Ottawa Gatineau 