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I have been an endurance events manager for the MMRF for the past two years. In my previous life, I was a participant on the very events that I now lead. My mother is a multiple myeloma patient, and during the worst of her treatment, I was one of her many caregivers. know firsthand how important a program like Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma is. It is not just the fundraising that is important, or the idea of hiking with a team in some of the worlds most beautiful places. The program itself gave me a sense of hope that I had never felt before.

Imagine yourself in a participant’s shoes. Maybe you are a caregiver like me, and you sign up for this event because you’ve always wanted to go on an epic hike and like the idea of a challenging fundraising goal. You arrive, very nervous, to your first training hike and realize that your team consists of other caregivers and patients, but shockingly you also meet representatives from pharma, researchers that work in labs on the drugs that your loved one may need one day, and doctors who could very well be treating your loved one. The team’s presence alongside you is supporting and comforting. This is what makes the event so powerful.

By hiking alongside, sharing a mountain hut, and truly getting to know the caregivers, patients, researchers, clinicians and pharma leadership the walls that were built upon diagnosis and through treatment begin to break down. I know in my personal experience, I often felt alone with my mother’s diagnosis and this program gave me a community I could count on.

I came away from my first hike in awe of the work that The MMRF is doing. I came home full of hope for the future and the progress that is being made. I came home with friends that I knew I could count on, lean on and depend on when my mother and I needed them.
The Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma program is so powerful because, as an orphan cancer, it is difficult to find others who understand, who you can talk to. The MMRF is that resource for me and it has empowered me to be that resource for others.

Meaningful Work: Supporting Patients, Loved Ones and This Rare Cancer

My Alaska Airlines flight 472 just departed Seattle bound for Los Angeles and my connecting flight on American to Buenos Aires. There I will meet up with the 2019 Patagonia Trek team made up of MM survivors like me, MM Doctors , caregivers, the great folks from the MMRF, Celgene Pharmaceutical and CURE Magazine the sponsors of this epic adventure. Our WhatsApp (the best for international travel, plus it’s free) chat group has been buzzing with lots of excitement as we’ve been getting closer to departure. Everyone has been preparing for this trip for a long time, fundraising, training, conference calls and emails from our awesome MMRF boss Lauren who’s been leading this team from all over the US and Europe!

My journey actually began a long time ago.

Dx in 2009 the MM Highway has many bumps along the way. Treatments of radiation, chemo and then a period of calm followed by relapse and another round of treatments. The radiation techs had tears in their eyes when they saw me walk in for my second round of radiation. It was great to see them again although not ideal circumstances. I did get to ring the bell twice!

Being able to become involved with the MMRF has been a blessing for me personally and allowed me to help raise much needed money and awareness for research and development of the new drugs that are extending patients lives.

Patagonia! Here we come!

I’m very excited to be able to make this trip with a great group from all over. Each day will be a different area with a uniqueness like each patient on the team. MM takes hold and affects each patient differently which can sometimes be more difficult to treat. The level of difficulty will increase each day as we prepare for a 22 mile trek on the last day!

Stayed tuned in for more........

Here We Come

Your wife has cancer – four words no one ever wants to hear and four words after which I knew my life was changed forever! After the initial shock had settled in, the next step was, “What can I do in this fight against this insidious disease?!?”

Finding the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) shortly after Michelle’s diagnosis has truly been a blessing for me – not only for the wealth of information and patient advocacy available, but also providing an avenue for me to get involved in this journey, and allowing me to jump head first into our fundraising efforts as Co-Captain, and head Cheerleader, of #TeamCarlberg.

As a caregiver, at times, well a lot of the time, I find myself wondering what more I can do, and raising funds and awareness for the MMRF, culminating in this Moving Mountains trek to Patagonia, has been exactly the MORE I can do! This past year – between Dine Out events, a neighborhood Fun Run 5K, and a Halloween party, with all proceeds going to the MMRF – has been so fulfilling in that regard.

Looking forward to the exciting adventure that lies in the two weeks ahead – traveling back to Patagonia, which holds a special place in Michelle and my hearts, re-connecting with our amazing team, and truly making a difference in this fight against multiple myeloma – let’s Move Mountains!!!

Let's Move Mountains

In 2016, when I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, my oldest son had just started kindergarten and my youngest son was 1. I had been living with severe back pain since my youngest was 2 months old. It was the moment that the path diverged, not only for myself, but for our family as well. Some dreams were lost, but others have come to take their place. There are days that I still struggle with the lost dreams that I know might never come to realization. This new path’s bumps have been especially hard as my multiple myeloma was more aggressive than originally thought and I remain on a stringent maintenance therapy. My children are growing up with a “sick” mom who has to go in for treatment every other week and has side effects that come at an instant’s notice. They have had to gain an understanding that mom has to run to the bathroom and please run along, too, and wait for who knows how long. Some days hurt as the fatigue takes over and I am shorter with my kids than I would like to be.

Being a part of Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma has been a new dream gained on this unforeseen path. This past year my husband, who I am blessed to share this experience with, and I have really found the “fun” in fundraising. We have been awed by the outpouring of support of our family, friends and neighbors. From a neighborhood fun run with 86 participants, to a creative sign making night, and restaurant dine-out evenings, we have not only been able to exceed our initial fundraising goal, but also raise awareness about multiple myeloma in our community. It is also amazing how many people just donate when you ask because they love and support you. Knowing that we have such support as we head on this adventure, gives us wind behind our backs.

Hiking has always been a passion of my husband and mine. To me, hiking has always been about seeing the beauty in the world and the knowledge when reaching the top and looking at the horizon, knowing that you can do anything. I hike for my family and the hope for a cure and living the longest life I can. I hike to be there at those momentous occasions that I don’t want to miss in my children’s lives. Seeing their smiles reminds me that even on this bumpy path that I didn’t expect to take, that I am blessed. We are ready to move this mountain!

The 'Fun' in Fundraising

In a society where everything is moving at a faster pace, the time a doctor spends face-to-face with a patient continues to shorten while the increasing amount of paperwork a doctor has after clinic hours makes it easy to forget the purpose of medicine. Unfortunately, it is seldom that doctors have an opportunity to step back and be reminded that sitting in front of them during a clinic visit is a person whose cancer diagnosis has uprooted their life plans and family dynamics. As a myeloma doctor who gives the news to others but is not being directly affected by it, it is difficult to grasp the emotional impact one is creating.

It was through my first trek with MMRF in Iceland that I got to bond on a personal level with five patients with myeloma who confided their fears, thoughts and emotions that drove them to opt in or out of certain treatments. It made me realize that my idea of the best treatment option might not always mean it is the right one for an individual. The unique experience of sharing a physical and emotional challenge with my hiking team has made me more sensible to each patient’s unique situation, to motivate them along their journey and develop trials that are more patient-centered. It is through these experiences outside of the clinic that I’ve been reminded why I’m here and how resilience is fueled by hope.

Outside of the Clinic

As a patient marketer at Celgene, my mission is to make the complexities inherent with learning about a multiple myeloma diagnosis and its associated treatment options easier for patient and caregivers to understand. Unfortunately, this is not an easy task for anyone. The commitment to research from partners such as Celgene and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation has led to the development of exciting new treatment options for patients, but no patient’s multiple myeloma journey is the same and the learning curve associated with matching therapeutic options to diverse patient profiles and phases of the patient journey does not have a simple textbook to guide one through it. The multiple myeloma treatment landscape is evolving rapidly and being involved in this space, whether you’re a health care provider, patient, caregiver, or marketer, requires a mindset that is adaptable to new information that will likely challenge all the notes you previously took in your personal Wiki on how to understand multiple myeloma and its associated treatment options.

One of the most gratifying aspects of my job in patient marketing at Celgene has been working directly with multiple myeloma patients on various aspects of materials that are designed to help patients with this complex challenge of making multiple myeloma easier to understand. Multiple myeloma patients are fortunate to have compassionate doctors, nurses, case workers, and pharmacists helping them navigate all phases of their journey with this disease, but I often hear from patients that what prompts to have a more active voice on their multiple journey is gaining perspectives from other multiple myeloma patients. What is great about the Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma program is the emphasis it places on not battling anything in isolation and learning from each other. We hike together at a pace set by whoever is challenged most by the task ahead of us. It’s incredibly moving for me to see how the patients, some even supported by their caregiver on the trek, are gaining valuable insights from each other about crafting a long-term perspective for living with multiple myeloma.

Celgene, CURE, and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation are doing such great work with broadcasting this important message of not being alone with this disease to a much larger audience of multiple myeloma patients globally.

Our group mantra of “working together” started as soon as we all woke up this morning, preparing to depart Buenos Aires for El Calafate for our first trek. After we checked in, we learned that we had to report to a separate counter to pay for our luggage before a boarding pass would be issued. Unfortunately, the line for the cashier was lengthy and our connection time for the flight was tight and not all credit cards were accepted. My teammates supported each other and covered the expenses of other teammates if necessary. We waited as group for the final member of our team to finally receive his boarding pass before rushing to get past security with backpacks unfastened and loosely hanging onto our backs (our boots are great for hiking, running through crowded airports not so much). Working together as a team we made sure everyone made the flight. On board that flight now, as I start an expedition that will involve crossing over glaciers, through deep valleys, and ascending challenging peaks, I certainly don’t have a bird’s eye view of what to expect, but there’s no doubt in mind that we will collectively and uniquely define success for the MM4MM’s first Patagonia trek over the next ten days by working together as a team.

Working Together

On November 8-19, 13 MMRF hikers, all with a connection to Multiple Myeloma will embark on the trek of a lifetime. This team will traverse Patagonia crossing over glaciers, through deep valleys, and ascending challenging peaks.


This rewarding and awe-inspiring five-day trek takes even novice climbers on a journey through the incredible landscape of Patagonia. The team will trek through Chalten, and acclimatize while they experience the mighty range of peaks dominated by Monte Fitz Roy, an 11,020-foot tower with a sheer face of more than 6,000 feet. Next trekkers reach Lago San Martin, they will range widely over the terrain in daily treks exploring a 10-mile long peninsula, climbing to a condor rookery, and reaching remote Andean lakes.

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Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma (MM4MM) is a collaboration between CURE Media Group and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation to raise awareness

Greenland Arctic Circle

Mt. Washington

Colorado

Mt. Kilimanjaro

Alaska Trek

Grand Canyon

Iceland Trek

Everest Base Camp/Kalapathhar Trek

Mount Everest Base Camp Climb

Havasu Falls/Grand Canyon Trek

Fire and Ice Iceland Trek

Mount Fuji

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Machu Picchu

For the past seven years, I have been dedicated to doing research and treating patients with myeloma. Even though studies have provided us with new treatment options that are allowing patients to live longer, the truth is that we have not found a cure. It is through the day-to-day interactions with patients that I learn the most on how therapies could be tailored to provide the best quality of life, but I have learned the most about living with this cancer after hiking a volcano in Iceland with five patients. The knowledge I have gained through their wins, their battles, and their losses far exceeds what can be taught in a class and pushes me to try harder, to enjoy life’s moments, and to accept our limitations.

Exploring new treatment concepts and discovering new therapies require extensive research, time and funding. It is with the help of organizations, drug companies and government funding that research opportunities arise to break boundaries and generate hope where there was none left. Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma is a great campaign to raise awareness on the achievements obtained from research, from challenging ourselves to bigger things, and to strive to overcome obstacles.

My first climb with this organizations sparked many research ideas, raised more than our goal for research funds and, most importantly, made a bond with a group of people I now consider family. Unfortunately, it often is more than one mountain that patients need to be climb while on treatment because of relapse or complications, so I will continue to climb mountains and shine a spotlight on them. I do this hike in honor of my patients who are going through their journey, those who have touched many lives, those who courageously have participated in clinical trials, and in memory of my dear aunt.

Cesar Rodriguez

My husband, Mike, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma a little over two years ago. Incurable cancer? My Mike?

Cancer was not part of the plan. For months after his diagnosis, I was certain the sweet life we had together would never be the same. But Mike entered a clinical trial and did well. We focused on the good news, long-term survivor stories, cutting-edge science and hope. The MMRF offered all these things. We were not alone. Meeting with doctors, attending conferences and hearing the stories of others living with multiple myeloma made all the difference. People with multiple myeloma can live the lives they were meant to enjoy.

Like Mike, I was one of seven children, so from the moment we met we had a lot in common. We’ve been married for almost 20 years and have a daughter, Mary Camille, a high school senior, who has been a tremendous support throughout Mike’s treatment and recovery. She excelled in school, practiced hard with her rowing team and Mike never missed one of her racing events. In fact, some parents high-fived his bald head ¾ they thought he was rocking a new hair style!

Mike also has another advantage. He is the most optimistic human being on this beautiful planet. He never steps back from a challenge and multiple myeloma is a big one so he decided to fundraise for a cure. 

 Trekking in Patagonia is probably the last thing I ever thought I would be doing. But like the multiple myeloma journey, life changes us in directions we could never have anticipated. I’m truly honored to be part of the Patagonia team and by Mike’s side always!

Kathleen Mankowich

Growing up, I was the oldest of seven children. The five boys in the family were all high school and collegiate wrestlers who experienced a fair amount of success on the mats. I think it’s fair to say we thought we were fairly tough kids.

Now, I guess, my “toughness” is being put to the test.

Two years ago, in February 2017, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. In the year prior to my diagnosis, I committed myself to getting back in shape. After years of losing weight for wrestling, my body had struck back in an almost violent manner, by packing on an additional 40 unnecessary, unwanted and unsightly pounds. After attending close to a year of local “boot camp” classes at 5:30 a.m. each morning, I felt as though I was almost where I needed to be. I dropped close to 30 pounds and felt great, well at least until I started to get those pesky back problems which I attributed to past wrestling injuries. Two chiropractors, one doctor and X-Ray technology totally whiffed on the issue! It was not until I went to a spinal cord specialist, who ordered a detailed MRI scan, that we were able to figure out the problem. I knew I was in trouble when he called the morning after the scan and mentioned something about certain cells that were found in my bone marrow that were not supposed to be there. I had him e-mail the MRI report to me while sitting at my desk at work. I read through the first few paragraphs, which I found thoroughly confusing. However, the closing paragraph was very easy to understand. The report coldly and definitively concluded that I was suffering from either multiple myeloma or metastatic disease. That final report really caught my attention.

So that was about two years ago. I am doing okay. The road’s been a bit rough, but not incredibly so. What’s helped make the whole thing palpable is the support I receive at home from my wonderful wife, Kathleen, and my daughter, Mary. I guess I should also give some credit to the medical staff at Sloan Kettering – they have been incredible!

As mentioned earlier, I‘m a wrestler. I welcome challenge. To me, this is merely another match, another challenge, likely the most difficult I will face during this lifetime, but another match, nonetheless. The MM4MM trip to Patagonia also presents another challenge. I am told I may have the opportunity to wrestle with condors, mountain lions and llamas! Seriously, and most importantly, the trip will allow me to put forth effort to help others who are also suffering from this insidious disease, people who may not be faring as well as I am. The way I see it, we are all part of a team and need to be looking out for one another.

Time will tell if I am “fairly tough” or not. Granted I am biased, but I wouldn’t hesitate to bet that I am!

Michael Mankowich

Pawel Kaczmarek is a physician who treats multiple myeloma patients in the UK. A Polish born native, Pawel is looking forward to connecting with patients, caregivers, and other doctors in the myeloma space. He has been following the MM4MM program since its beginning and looks forward to bringing his work outside of the hospital and into the stunning landscape of Patagonia.

Pawel Kaczmarek

I have had the privilege of summiting Mount Kilimanjaro twice at sunrise, climbing to the bottom of the Grand Canyon three times and trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Now, I will embark on my eighth adventure as I trek for the second time to Iceland with the Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma team. I am honored to have taken on these challenges alongside many patients with multiple myeloma. My life will be forever changed by the strength and determination of those patients. We do this to raise money through the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation to help accelerate research in an effort to help find a CURE for this intolerable disease.

My entire life I have been surrounded by cancer from my family members to working in cancer publishing, and now as the Director Cancer Patient Education at 

Marty Murphy

In November 2014 I lost my mother unexpectedly to multiple myeloma. She had been struggling with the disease for three years and unfortunately the biggest problem was finding a treatment that would agree with her. Either the chemo would be working but she would feel awful, or she would feel great but the chemo wouldn’t work at all. Her kidneys started to fail and there wasn’t much to do at that point. She accepted her fate and passed the day before Thanksgiving in her sleep without telling any of us that she was on the brink of death. I’m the youngest of four children and the only girl, so dealing with her loss has been tough in many ways.

My brothers and I have been looking for the right way to honor our mom for years now, but we can’t seem to agree on what to do. I stumbled upon the MMRF website a couple of years ago but never acted on anything. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I found myself back on the website and intrigued by the Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma program and decided to look into it some more. When I saw that they were going to Patagonia this year, I had to apply. I’ve not only been wanting to go to Patagonia, but I knew that this would be the perfect way to honor my mom coming up on the five-year anniversary of her death, and to kick-start our efforts to create a scholarship in her name.

I am humbled by the opportunity to be a part of this team and to raise money for research and awareness of a disease that took my mother’s life when it didn’t have to. I am grateful to be joined by a group of inspired people that are also on the same mission. This will be an incredible journey and I am really looking forward to the challenge of it all. The challenge of fundraising, the challenge of the hike, and the challenge to get the word out about multiple myeloma.

Valerie Cekovsky

I’ve worked in clinical research for over 23 years in different diseases. We’ve made so much progress but there is still so much more to do until we find a cure! In February 2009, I was given the opportunity to be the Multiple Myeloma Project Manager for City of Hope, and have specialized in this particular disease and am passionate about my patients, our trials, our amazing disease team at City of Hope and clinical research in general.

Over the years, I’ve seen so many advances in multiple myeloma. I’ve seen firsthand how important research is and the important work that the MMRF and CURE are doing in advancing and prolonging the lives and quality of life of multiple myeloma patients.

I am taking part of this amazing experience for a few reasons. Most importantly, I would love to raise funds for research, which without, we would not be where we are today. This is my second hike through this program. My first hike was the Grand Canyon Trek in 2017. This was an amazing experience to not only raise awareness and funds, but to meet an amazing group of patients and researchers who quickly became my extended family! I cherish my team to this day and love how this trek brought strangers together in a short amount of time that will remain lifelong friends!

I am hiking to honor all of our multiple myeloma patients at City of Hope! I am hiking to honor the memory of all fighters who we’ve, unfortunately, lost to cancer. I am hiking to celebrate all the cancer survivors and thrivers in my life, including my ex-husband, to whom I simply want say thank you for being who you are today, for always caring, for being there for us always and for helping and supporting me to become a better version of myself.

I’m hiking in honor of our beloved, Dr. Arti Hurria, who we lost last year tragically in a car accident. She was not only a close collaborator of our Multiple Myeloma Program at City of Hope, but also an amazing mentor to many of us and most importantly, a friend with such spirit and light!

Lastly, I am doing this hike for ME! In order to transform oneself in mind, body and spirit, we have to accept and take on challenges. This has always been difficult for me but I’ve learned that this is not impossible and that I am capable of whatever I set my mind to. I’ve learned that persistence and motivation have to be a daily part of my life and that I am truly resilient through it all. I’ve also learned that my faith carries me daily, but I also have to put in the work for this trek! Both will carry me through these next months as I prepare and accomplish my goal of hiking through and completing the Patagonia Trek! I will move that mountain!

”He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:20

Lupe Duarte

At Celgene, it’s my honor to work with incredibly brave patients who serve as ambassadors for our multiple myeloma therapies. They lead support meetings to assist other multiple myeloma patients with dealing with topics like the news of a diagnosis and coping with various aspects that are unique to each stage of their treatment. Multiple myeloma presents patients and caregivers with a challenging volume of medical information. In my patient marketing role, I help patients and caregivers better understand the treatment options that are available to them and provide them with resources to empower their voice while having nurse, doctor and pharmacist discussions about their multiple myeloma treatments.

I am honored to be participating in the Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma Patagonia Hike this year to raise awareness and support for all our inspiring patients and caregivers impacted by multiple myeloma.

Celgene and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation are both committed to research efforts that continue to drive better treatment options for multiple myeloma patients. With my Patagonia team, I look forward to celebrating our collective efforts to, one day, hopefully eradicate this disease.

Vik Ram

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in the spring of 2009. Hip pain took me to the doctor and an MRI revealed that I had a tumor the size of a grapefruit on the right iliac crest of my pelvic bone. The diagnosis was a single plasmacytoma. It was not yet diagnosed as multiple myeloma because there was only one tumor, but the doctor told me that I was likely to develop multiple myeloma in the future. Prior to this, I had no idea what plasmacytomas or multiple myeloma was. I went home and began researching on the internet. After reading a couple of articles, I freaked out, shut the computer down, sat in my chair and stared at the wall. Now I call this the “dark days after diagnosis.”

I was treated with radiation in Seattle for five weeks and went back to home to Juneau, Alaska, to join my family and resume my life. In December 2009, I discovered another tumor on my L4 rib and I joined the multiple myeloma club. I went back to Seattle and again did radiation and began induction therapy.

That was a little over seven years ago! My support system has been amazing! From my wife, who always encouraged me to get back on my horse and keep moving forward, to my two sons and my family and friends, I’ve received incredible support. I’ve been fortunate to have the support of my employer, Alaska Airlines. In the 31 years that I’ve been with them, I’ve witnessed their compassion for their employees time and time again.

Many years ago, one of my dear friends and a fellow multiple myeloma patient told me two important things: knowledge is power and don’t borrow tomorrow’s troubles today. This has become advice that I try to live by every day. The days have turned into weeks and the weeks into months and the months into years! Getting involved with support groups and researching my disease has helped me keep things in perspective and move forward with living.

In the summer of 2009, after five weeks of radiation in Seattle and with the approval of my oncologist, I climbed and summitted Colorado’s Mt. Democrat (14,155 ft.). I went back to work at Alaska Airlines and resumed my charter business, Juneau Adventures, a fishing/whale watching sightseeing business in Juneau, Alaska, during the summer months. I attended my first MMRF seminar in Seattle that year. What an amazing experience! A reply to an email from Kelly at MMRF landed me on the 2017 Mt. Kilimanjaro Trek Team. Climbing Mt. Democrat after my first round of radiation become one of the major milestones in this journey. I believe that this climb will be another milestone ¾ one that gives me the opportunity to do something proactive to help cure the disease that I fight on a personal level every day. This is an amazing opportunity to raise money for research and bring more awareness to this rare incurable cancer. My goal is to raise $10,000 which all will go to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

Please join with me and support the MMRF as we climb towards a CURE!

Terry White


After suffering back pain, weight loss and skin and stomach problems with no answers, I was finally diagnosed with multiple myeloma in August of 2016. I did the multiple myeloma standard induction therapy of RVD (Revlimid, Velcade, and dexamethosone) for four months and in February of 2017 I underwent an autologous stem cell transplant. Unfortunately, before 100 days, my multiple myeloma was on the rise and doctors concluded that my disease was more aggressive than they previously thought. In August of 2017, I began Kyprolis, Revlimid, and dexamethosone (KRD) and in December 2017 I finally reached the coveted remission status. It wasn't until January of 2019, after another bone marrow biopsy, that I received the great news that I am minimal residual disease-negative!

No one ever wants to hear the word “cancer.” While my world instantaneously shattered, it also wasn’t a death sentence. Although multiple myeloma has no cure, it is manageable through medication that has come out in the last 10 years. Through research, treatment for the disease continues to evolve. And for that I am forever grateful. I plan to throw my full support behind research and awareness to live my fullest life possible.




I am honored and grateful to be chosen as part of the Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma team to hike in Patagonia this November and excited to raise awareness and funds for the diseaes. I am especially excited to share this experience with my husband, who has been an awesome caregiver and advocate for me. Hiking has always been one of the passions we have shared together. We traveled to Patagonia in 2006 as part of an around the world trip and it holds a special place in our hearts. We are thrilled to return together as part of an awesome team of patients, caregivers, myeloma doctors, nurses and researchers advocating and accelerating treatments for this incurable disease.

Life with two young, active boys is always an adventure. Having multiple myeloma added a new, unexpected road in our path. While doctors and infusion appointments have become a new normal, it adds another layer of chaos to our household. I try to embrace our mania to the fullest extent. Please follow our journey on my blog: 

Michelle and Jeffrey Carlberg

My name is Carmelo Echevarria Colon III (Mel). I am 48 years old and reside in Roanoke, Virginia. I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma six years ago. I came across this wonderful fundraising event through a Facebook advertisement and was compelled to give back to the research of this disease and to thank all of those that have been there in support of it, including the medical staff of Duke university Hospital.

I am blessed to be in good medical and physical condition to show that this disease can be dealt with if one keeps a good mental attitude. It feels awesome to be part of this wonderful journey toward helping in finding a cure for multiple myeloma. I am looking forward to the trip, of course; but most importantly making new relationships through this process and journey.


Carmelo Echevarria Colon III

In 2018, I took on the role of Endurance Events Manager at The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF). While the title was new, what was not was the role I would be playing. Since 2014, I have played a role as a caregiver to my mom who is a multiple myeloma patient. Over the years, I have organized meals, took over cleaning the house and supported her any way that I could. I have fundraised through multiple endurance events with the MMRF, I have forced myself to read the scary facts and became informed on the type of cancer she has. I hosted events to support her in a positive light and kept looking for the next big thing to continue to make a difference.

I was excited to bring my first-hand knowledge of the disease, fundraising, training and being a teammate to The MMRF. I am thrilled to work with patients, caregivers and doctors each day to help them achieve their fundraising goals. I get excited to see each team member hit their fundraising goal, and I truly enjoy supporting teams as they plan events, host fundraisers and spread awareness in their communities.

Last year, my mom was able to join me on one of my first events. Together, with a team of 17 others we summited Mt. Washington. It was an invaluable lesson to me and truly a metaphor for what the Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma program is all about. Whatever your diagnosis, whatever your challenges may be, if you set yourself a personal goal, big or small, you are proving to yourself that a cancer diagnosis does not need to stop you.

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