(Photo: submitted)

The flag has been raised at Moncton City Hall for Multiple Myeloma and a walk will be held to raise even more awareness.

City Councillor Shawn Crossman was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2018, but has been in remission since his stem cell transplant in 2019,.

He says it is the second highest blood cancer in the country, “Without continued research, I’m not sure I would be here today and the dedication and passion by the medical team, the team at the Moncton Hospital. It’s just outstanding what they do every day.”

The walk will be held on Sunday starting at Mapleton Park Lodge at 1 pm

“They come to this walk, they can get support, they can talk to people who have experienced this and they can get that first-hand experience on what the journey is going to look like and how positive of an outcome it can be,” Crossman says.

A flag raising ceremony was held on Friday afternoon at Moncton City Hall, “I had my own Myeloma flag mad, and I worked with the city clerk’s desk to make sure that the flagpole was available. It is a personalized Moncton Multiple Myeloma flag, and it will stay in Moncton at City hall,” Crossman says.

His goal is to raise $30, 000 from the walk this year for research.

“Every year, we’re getting closer to finding a cure,” says Martine Elias, Executive Director of Myeloma Canada. “That’s why the funds raised at the Moncton Multiple Myeloma March are so critical. They help to keep myeloma research moving forward and to improve the lives of Canadians impacted by this devastating disease.”

Every day, 11 new Canadians are diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma.