Music executive Shanti Das leads campaign to increase awareness of multiple myeloma

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a rare blood cancer that affects Black people at a higher rate than others. This incurable disease affects plasma cells in the body, causing them to grow out of control and affect your immune system. Black people make up 20 percent of all MM cases and have twice as high a chance of dying from it than other races. African Americans (AAs) experience a higher incidence of multiple myeloma (MM) compared to White patients. Furthermore, mortality rates are also higher in AAs than in White patients. AAs also exhibit a higher prevalence of immunoglobulin H translocations t(11;14) and t(14;16) compared to White patients. Credit: National Library of Medicine As devastating as MM is, this disease is still uncommon to most. Shanti Das aims to change that. She is a former music executive based in Atlanta, GA, with years in the industry. She became a health advocate for this matter and is using the That My Word campaign to raise awareness for this cancer. The more knowledge and support for MM out there, the better outcomes are possible for those with the disease. “We want to raise awareness that it is a rare blood cancer. We want...