During the COVID-19 pandemic, myeloma support and advocacy groups were forced to adapt to a new way of working in order to continue helping patients with myeloma and improving their quality of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that patients with myeloma interact with their doctors, with phone and video appointments filling in for face-to-face appointments, as well as impacting on the role of nurses. Furthermore, the emotional burden of lockdowns and increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection for patients with hematological malignancies has made the role of myeloma nurses and advocacy groups more important than ever.

In this VJSession, chaired by leading myeloma expert Mohamad Mohty, MD, PhD, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France, myeloma nurse Sarah Henshaw, BSc, MSc, and patient advocates Jack Aiello, Cindy Chmielewski and Jim Omel, MD, discuss myeloma from the patient’s perspective, highlighting challenges during the pandemic and the role of the patient advocate.