Cesar Rodriguez Valdes, MD

Associate Professor and Clinical Director, MM Program

Tiffany H. Williams

Patient Advocate

This awards event hosted by CURE® is an evening of gratitude and celebration for the heroes who have made a significant impact in the lives of patients with multiple myeloma. Together, we can increase awareness of the challenges and disparities experienced by the myeloma patient and advocacy community, and work towards improving health equity. Nomination essays are thoughtfully prepared and submitted by patients, survivors, caregivers and health care professionals describing how their hero has demonstrated significant impact in improving the lives of patients living with multiple myeloma. After a cocktail and dinner reception, the evening begins with a special guest speaker delivering a keynote address to the audience of advocates, patients and health care professionals. Then our heroes and their nominators are honored on-stage with a reading of the winning essay and an award presentation.

Multiple Myeloma Heroes®

Laura J. Vasquez, RN, CPON

Beverly M. Moser, RN, BSN, OCN

Elmeria S. Teffeteller, MSN, APRN-AOCN

Rafat Abonor, MD

Mary Bohn, RN, OCN

Michael Katz

Jennifer Ahlstrom

Bob Dickey, Jr.

Charles (Chuck) Wakefield

Stanley Wagner

Jeff Goad

Carl Anthony Blau, MD

CEO, All4Cure

J.P. Kealy

Multiple Myeloma Patient

Cynthia Chmielewski

Patient Research Advocate

Academy award-winning actress and activist Marlee Matlin is our Multiple Myeloma Heroes guest speaker. Marlee Matlin received worldwide critical acclaim for her film debut in “Children of a Lesser God,” for which she received the Academy Award for Best Actress. At 21, she became the youngest recipient of the Best Actress Oscar and only one of four actresses to receive the honor for her film debut. In addition to the Oscar, Matlin received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama. Since winning the Oscar and Golden Globe for “Children of a Lesser God,” Marlee has starred in numerous features including “Walker,” “The Player,” “Hear No Evil,” “It’s My Party” and “What the Bleep Do We Know.” She has also starred in TV films “Bridge to Silence,” “Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story,” “Dead Silence,” “Freak City,” “Where the Truth Lies” and Hallmark Hall of Fame’s “Sweet Nothing in my Ear.” Marlee also starred in her own NBC series “Reasonable Doubts” opposite Mark Harmon, and the Emmy Award-winning “Picket Fences.” Marlee was twice nominated for a Golden Globe Award as Best Actress in a Television Drama as well as the People’s Choice Awards. She has been nominated for four Emmy awards for her appearances on “Seinfeld,” “Picket Fences,” “The Practice” and “Law and Order: SVU.” Marlee starred for seven years on the award winning drama, “The West Wing” and has made numerous guest appearances including “ER,” “Desperate Housewives,” “CSI: New York,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Nip/Tuck,” “CSI,” “Glee” and “Family Guy.” In 2007 Marlee joined “The L Word” for three seasons. In 2009, Marlee published her New York Times best-selling autobiography, “I’ll Scream Later” and has authored three novels for children including “Deaf Child Crossing” and “Nobody’s Perfect.” Marlee broke barriers once again when she starred on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” and in 2015, she returned to the stage after a 30-year hiatus and made her Broadway debut in the revival of the Tony Award-winning musical, “Spring Awakening.” Marlee developed “Marlee Signs,” the first celebrity-driven app teaching basics of American Sign Language on mobile devices. In 2016, she returned for her third appearance at the Super Bowl, signing the National Anthem alongside Grammy-winning and Platinum-selling artist, Lady Gaga. Matlin currently stars on the Peabody Award-winning series, “Switched at Birth.” Although Matlin lost her hearing when she was only 18 months old, she never let her challenges dictate her future or deter her dreams. Along with a successful Hollywood career, Matlin has dedicated herself to raising awareness for many humanitarian causes, including diversity and LGBT rights. Matlin’s father, Don Matlin, was diagnosed with stage 3 multiple myeloma. Matlin showed support for her father by participating in a Stand Up to Cancer fundraising special that aired on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and several cable channels. Marlee makes her home in the Los Angeles area with her husband, a law enforcement officer, and their four children. Ms. Matlin is appearing in conjunction with the CURE Multiple Myeloma Heroes. This does not constitute or imply endorsement of any products or services.

Marlee Matlin

One of the most popular and highly recognized standup comedians on the road today has also made quite an impression in the television, film, author and radio arenas. D.L. can currently be heard nationwide as host of his own afternoon radio show “The D.L. Hughley Show” which is nationally syndicated in over 60 cities across the country including the #1 radio market – New York. The radio show dives head first into hot topics of the day and dishes on the latest news, entertainment, pop culture and what's trending in social media.

 Darryl “D.L.” Hughley grew up on “106th & Avalon” in South Central Los Angeles, California. He is the second of four children. His father Charles was an airline maintenance worker and his mother Audrey was a homemaker. He was a member of the “Bloods” gang, but after getting kicked out of High School and watching his Cousin get shot, he turned his life around by receiving his GED and obtaining a job as a telemarketer for the Los Angeles Times, where he moved into management and met LaDonna, his wife-to-be. LaDonna was the one who convinced him to try his humor onstage. After years of club dates, he was selected by BET as the first host of "Comic View”.

 As the star and producer of his namesake television show that ran on ABC and UPN The Hughleys, D.L. is also well known as one of the standout comedians on the hit comedy docu-film The Original Kings of Comedy. A veteran of numerous talk show appearances D.L. switched the tables in 2005, hosting his own talk show on Comedy Central, Weekends at the D.L. He is a regular on the late night talk show circuit, including always-memorable appearances on Real Time with Bill Maher and The Tonight Show. He is frequently requested as a guest host for such shows as Good Morning America, The View and Live with Kelly and Ryan.
 
 In 2012, Random House books released his first humorous book title, I Want You to Shut the F*ck Up. That same year, D.L. also created and starred in the satirical documentary special for Comedy Central D.L. Hughley: The Endangered List, which premiered to rave reviews. The special was honored with the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award at the 72nd Annual Peabody Awards. In 2016, DL released his second book Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years, described as a satirical retrospective of Obama’s years in office. The book went on to make the New York Times Bestseller List.

 In addition, in June of 2018 Harper Collins released D.L.’s third book How Not To Get Shot, And Other Advice From White People. The book, a satirical conversation about race relations, became D.L’.s second book to reach the New York Times Bestseller List. He released his fourth book, Surrender White People in July of 2020 and his fifth book How To Survive America in June of 2021.

 Known for being astute and politically savvy in true comedian-style, D.L. served as host of his own late night talk shows on CNN D.L. Hughley Breaks the News, TV-One’s The D.L. Hughley Show, and was a series regular on the Aaron Sorkin NBC drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. D.L. hosted the TBS’s game show Trust Me, I’m a Game Show Host. He also tapped into his playful side and participated in the 16th season of the hit ABC show Dancing with the Stars.
 D.L. shot his 11th stand up special “D.L. Hughley: Contrarian” in 2018. The special is currently available on Netflix.
 D.L.’s first love always has been, and always will be, standup comedy. “From the moment I first walked onstage and picked up a microphone,” he says, “I knew that it was what I was meant to do.”.
 D.L. is currently the Executive Producer and star of D.L. Hughley: UnCut on the Laugh Out Loud Network.

D.L. HUGHLEY