Diagnosed with myeloma in 1995, Jack is strong proponent of patients participating in clinical trials so that, in the future, myeloma and other cancers will be known as curable diseases. He is a proud facilitator of the San Francisco Bay Area Myeloma Support Group.

Since being diagnosed in 2011, Sheri had a desire to help other patients & caregivers. She started the Treasure Valley Multiple Myeloma support group in Boise, Idaho in 2017. Sheri will be attending the ASH Annual Meeting for the second time.

Diagnosed at the young age of 25 with stage III multiple myeloma, Yelak Biru is a patient turned myeloma research advocate. Working with a team of medical practitioners and educating himself through support group leadership, information resources, advocacy sites, social media, and the IMF, Yelak has successfully integrated myeloma to his life for over two decades.

Becky is the proud facilitator of the Mid Atlantic Myeloma Support and Information Group, based out of the Baltimore, Maryland area. Becky has spent her entire professional career as an oncology nurse, achieving her OCN certification in 2015, working as an inpatient oncology nurse, and most recently, serving as a Cellular Therapy and Transplant Nurse Coordinator at University of Maryland Medical Center. She is excited to attend ASH for the first time as a correspondent with the IMF.

John DeFlice, M.D. is a ten-year multiple myeloma survivor. He had a stem cell transplant at Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Cancer Center in Los Angeles in 2011and is currently on maintenance therapy. John is a co-lead of the International Myeloma Foundation support group in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and has attended ASH at the invitation of the IMF for four years. He will again be participating in the virtual ASH 2021. 

Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in April 2010 at the young age of 46, Linda Huguelet has been co-leading the Chattanooga Multiple Myeloma Networking group alongside her husband since February 2011. Excited to learn of the latest developments in myeloma care, Linda will be attending ASH for the eighth time with the IMF.

Michael Tuohy was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2000 when he was 36 years old. With two young children (ages 2 and 7) the focus was always on finding the best treatment options, and beating myeloma. His approach over the years has been to become empowered by learning as much as he could to have productive conversations with his doctors, and to then share his experience with others to help them along their own journey. 

Robin Tuohy became a passionate advocate in the myeloma world in 2000 when her husband, Michael was diagnosed. In 2005 she began working for the International Myeloma Foundation, and is now Vice President Support Groups. She leads the IMF’s Support Group team and oversees approximately 160 U.S. myeloma specific support groups. Robin and her husband, Michael also founded and co-lead the Connecticut Multiple Myeloma Fighters Information Group.

Jill Zitzewitz, PhD is an associate professor in academic medicine, where she has spent her career studying therapeutic development for protein misfolding diseases. Since being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2017, Jill has transitioned to a fully educational role, teaching medical and graduate students and using her experience with multiple myeloma to provide the patient perspective to our future doctors and scientists.