Team MAYAmazing

The photos are in! Still can’t believe it’s been a month since Team MAYAMAZING found out we had raised $70,000 for Blood Cancer Research! Once again, we are so grateful for everyone who donated and supported us!

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved nelarabine injection, a critical treatment for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), an aggressive blood cancer that is most common in children. This is an important approval because it provides a much-needed option to the only other approved form of nelarabine, which has been affected by long-term shortages.

What is Myeloma, also called Multiple Myeloma? Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells. Normal plasma cells in the bone marrow are an important part of the immune system. Plasma cells make the antibodies that help the body attack and kill germs. In multiple myeloma, the overgrowth of plasma cells in the bone marrow can crowd out normal blood-forming cells, leading to low blood counts, bone/calcium problems, infections, and kidney problems.

The lifetime risk of getting multiple myeloma in the United States is 1 in 132 (0.76%). The American Cancer Society's estimates for multiple myeloma in the United States for 2023 are: About 35,730 new cases will be diagnosed (19,860 in men and 15,870 in women).