By Blood Cancer United
When Kimberly Alexander learned that her husband, Elijah, was diagnosed with myeloma in 2005, she wasn’t sure where to turn. It was her first time learning about it—the blood cancer she knew nothing about; that would go on to change everything for her family.
Elijah, a retired NFL player, had spent the last year complaining about foot pain that was frequently dismissed as the result of his football career. But after a few scary emergency room visits and some testing, Elijah was ultimately diagnosed with myeloma.
Elijah passed away in 2010. In the years since, Kimberly has dedicated herself to raising awareness of myeloma and its impact. “If I can help another family who finds themselves in the same position, that’s what I want to do,” Kimberly says.
Kimberly doesn’t just want people to hear Elijah’s story. She believes it’s crucial that people have conversations about their own experiences with cancer—that they share their stories with others and encourage them to do the same. And by talking to people, sharing stories, and relating to them, it becomes easier to help them find what they need. “There are a lot of people who truly have no idea where to start, or what resources are available to them,” Kimberly says. “If you can alleviate that in any way by answering a question or two or pointing someone in the right direction to get the support that they need, that’s huge.”
She’s also seen the ways in which care for myeloma patients has evolved since Elijah’s treatment: “Back then, there weren’t many treatment options,” Kimberly says. “And there wasn’t a lot of promising news about it. So much has changed in the past 16 years, and it’s just incredible.”
Myeloma is a rare blood cancer
Kimberly’s story may be a familiar one for you. It’s estimated that 176,980 people in the United States live with myeloma—a rare and incurable (but treatable) cancer of plasma cells. While myeloma can affect anyone, Black Americans are 2X more likely to be diagnosed than any other ethnicity.
Despite these facts, it’s not uncommon for people to hear “myeloma” and not know what it is.
It’s not melanoma, which is skin cancer. And while plenty of people have heard of blood cancer, common knowledge doesn't always extend beyond leukemia and lymphoma.
Myeloma is actually one of more than 100 types of blood cancer, and as noted above, forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. These plasma cells become abnormal and multiply, and if untreated, continue to grow and build up in the bone marrow, crowding out healthy blood cells.
Some symptoms can include:
- Bone pain from the effects myeloma cells have on the marrow
- Fractures due to weakened bones
- Anemia, recurrent infections, or numbness or pain in the hands and/or feet, known as peripheral neuropathy
- Feeling tired and weak
- (It’s also possible to show no signs or symptoms.)
Interested in learning more about myeloma? Head here.
Blood Cancer United supports the science that makes new drug approvals possible
Blood Cancer United’s mission is to cure blood cancer and improve the quality of life of all patients and their families. To help achieve that mission, we’ve invested more than $2 billion in blood cancer research, spanning across all types of blood cancer—making us the world’s largest nonprofit funder of blood cancer research.
Our investment in myeloma research has led to markedly improved outcomes for patients. In the 1970s, the five-year survival rate for myeloma was only 24%. Now? It’s up to 63%, thanks to decades of rigorous research and the development of therapies designed to help patients live longer, better lives.
In 2025, Blood Cancer United’s multi-year myeloma investment totaled $22.2 million, with grants active in four countries and 10 U.S. states.
In recent years, this investment has led to:
- An FDA-approved combination therapy for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who are not eligible for stem cell transplant, thanks to data from the CEPHEUS trial led by Saad Usmani, M.D. at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York
- An FDA-approved drug for adults with high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma that reduces the risk of progression to active multiple myeloma by 51% compared to active monitoring
- Bispecific antibody treatments for myeloma, which help adults who have myeloma that hasn’t responded to treatment or have relapsed despite previous treatments
- A pair of immunotherapy drugs getting approved by the FDA—a CAR T-cell treatment and the first bispecific antibody. And in 2025, one-third of the patients in a late-stage clinical trial for the CAR T treatment, Carvykti®, remain cancer free for five years.
For more information on the bullets above or any of our myeloma investments over the past few years, see our archived Annual Reports.
These advancements are already changing how myeloma is treated. But more research is needed to extend these benefits to all people with blood cancer. Our continued investment in preclinical and clinical research is critical to maintain this positive momentum and ultimately achieve cures for all blood cancers.
Blood Cancer United is all about blood cancer. So people with blood cancer can be about everything else.
2025 was a big deal for us, thanks to the introduction of our bold goal and our name change.
Early in the year, we shared what we call our “bold goal”—to enable patients with blood cancer to gain more than one million years of life by 2040. To accomplish that, we need to reach as many people as possible—particularly, anyone affected by any of the 100+ types of blood cancer.
Time is the most important thing we have—and we’re committed to making sure patients get more of it and have a good quality of life to enjoy it. That means more afternoon walks. More book browsing in your favorite local shop. More days on the lake with your favorite person. More time with loved ones.
When our name was The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, we frequently heard from patients and their families that they did not know we could help—especially for people living with myeloma. While our organization had myeloma-specific resources, it was not represented in our name. And that had to change.
Now, as Blood Cancer United, myeloma patients know where they can turn.
How we help people with myeloma and any type of blood cancer
If you or someone you love is affected by myeloma—or any blood cancer—you’re in the right place. Blood Cancer United is here with free resources and support following a diagnosis, for both patients and caregivers.
The best place to start is by contacting our blood cancer Information Specialists, a team of highly trained oncology social workers and nurses who can help with anything blood cancer-related and how it affects your life—whether that’s at diagnosis, during treatment, or any time throughout survivorship.
And for anyone affected by myeloma, we have specific resources for you:
- Booklets, webcasts, and the latest news to help you learn more about myeloma
- The Living with Myeloma Chat and the Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection® Program, which give patients spaces to speak to people who have gone through similar experiences
- Myeloma-specific episodes of The Bloodline, Blood Cancer United’s podcast for patients and caregivers
- And for general information on myeloma, you can head here.
If you or someone you love has been affected by myeloma or any blood cancer, we are here for you—with dedicated myeloma resources, research, and support.
