Families walk for multiple myeloma awareness
Erma Roung was angry.
Angry at losing her husband, Ken, to an incurable form of cancer. Angry it took so long to diagnose that the physical challenges he battled for several years were linked to multiple myeloma.
“I had so much anger I had to transfer it into something good,” Roung said before leading a group of friends, family and strangers on the seventh annual Windsor/ Essex County Multiple Myeloma March Sunday on the grounds of the Vollmer Centre.
“I needed to turn my anger into a better cause.”
Ken Roung, an artist, died in 2010 at 64 years old. For two years he struggled with kidney ailments and painful bone fractures.
“It was a struggle to find out what was wrong with him,” Erma said.
Ken died just two months after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer affecting the plasma cells in bone marrow.
Erma’s first march to raise awareness about this type of cancer raised $50,000.
This year’s event attracted 207 participants and raised $38,000, pushing the seven-year fundraising total to $212,000.
Eric LaMarre and his wife, Kristen, came out as a show of support for Kristen’s aunt who’s living with multiple myeloma.
“She’s in remission so that’s good,” Eric said. “We came here to get some awareness for it and raise some donations.”
Candice McLaughlin brought her son, Cameron, as part of Dino’s Dream Team.
Cameron Beale and his friend Adam Desrosiers, both 11, were walking for their buddy, Ben Farina, who lost his father, Dino, to the disease earlier this year.
“They’re best friends with Ben,” Candice said.
“This is our first time doing the march. We wanted to help support his mom.”
Erma says general awareness of the disease is improving but she still hears from too many people “who have been newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma and they’ve never heard of the term before.”
She is encouraged by the advances of doctors and researchers in their fight against the disease, noting Health Canada’s approval of four new drugs last year.
Windsor, she said, also received funding last year for one of 24 research centres across nine provinces as part of the Myeloma Canada Research Network.
Erma marched Sunday with her daughter, Angel, and son, Andy.
Now 62, she plans to continue marching in Ken’s honour.
“Probably for as long as it takes to try and make a bigger difference,” she said.
I had so much anger I had to transfer it into something good. I needed to turn my anger into a better cause.