The 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition is scheduled to begin on Saturday, December 11, 2021. Like last year, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) will participate virtually in the conference to ensure the safety of attendees.
As a first-time attendee, I have mixed feelings about doing the conference virtually. First and foremost, I trust and respect Dr. Durie’s decision to not physically send anyone to ASH this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic — even increasingly so, with the Omicron variant rearing its ugly head. I am grateful for that forethought of what I know was a very difficult decision for Dr. Durie to make.
I look forward to attending many more years of ASH – hopefully, in person in the near future. I have attended several other national conferences in person. There’s no other way to describe the energy of attendees in this type of gathering, other than electric!
There is such power in being surrounded by the world’s experts in hematology and people who share the same passion as yourself. There’s nothing like it and I will miss that electricity in the air, but I am looking forward to the networking and camaraderie between my fellow Support Leaders.
IMF’s SGL Correspondents for #ASH21 come from different backgrounds — some are patients, others are care partners, while some are healthcare professionals. However, all have an equal passion for myeloma research, advocacy, education, and outreach.
We will be blogging throughout the conference, as well as sharing updates on Twitter. There are HUNDREDS of myeloma-related abstracts this year to be presented at ASH. I am excited to delve into my share of these abstracts and share “hot-off-the-press” information with all of you! I am honored to join this amazing group of people in this journey!
Please follow each of us on Twitter to tap into all of our experiences with the information shared at ASH – below are all our Twitter handles.
Becky Bosley, RN MidAtlantic Region @MidAtlanticMSG
Jack Aiello San Francisco Bay Area @JackMAiello
Sheri Baker Boise, Idaho @blondie1746
Yelak Biru NW Arkansas @NorthTxMSG
Jessie Daw Sioux Falls, SD @Daw6Jessie
John DeFlice, MD Santa Fe, NM @johnde1MYELOMA
Linda Huguelet Chattanooga, TN @LindaMYELOMA
Sue Massey Virtual SG for Patients/CG with young children @Mmfamilies_IMF
Teresa Miceli, RN Rochester, MN @IMFnurseMYELOMA
Gail McCray Southside Atlanta, GA @IMFgailMYELOMA
Michael Tuohy Prospect, CT @IMFmikeMYELOMA
Robin Tuohy IMF, VP Support Groups @IMFsupport
Jill Zitzewitz, PhD Central MA @JillZitzewitz
Becky Bosley @MidAtlanticMSG
Becky Bosley, on Twitter @MidAtlanticMSG