For over twenty years the International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation has provided support and education to patients and caregivers around the world. Twenty years ago, we had one support group; today, along with our international affiliates, we have over 60. When the IWMF was founded we were limited in our treatment options for WM; today we have many options, including an FDA approved drug therapy. The IWMF has been able to dedicate over $18 million to WM specific research, which has led to better treatment options, and longer lasting remissions. None of these achievements – none of this growth – would have been possible without your continued support of the IWMF.
In 2013, the IWMF announced the Imagine a Cure campaign, with the ambitious goal of raising $9 million in five years to support WM research. Your response was so overwhelming, we exceeded our goal in four years.
In May 2015 the IWMF partnered with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to bring together the best minds in WM research to create a Strategic Research Roadmap that would allow us to focus our resources on finding and funding the best research for WM. Because the Roadmap required a significant increase in funding, we increased the goal of our Imagine a Cure Campaign to $25 million. Again, because of the overwhelming response of supporters like you, we have surpassed this milestone.
We are once again asking for your support.
We are approaching more potential scientific breakthroughs, and research momentum is critical. Scientific advances have put us on the brink of a world without WM. The IWMF Board of Directors has increased the goal of the Imagine a Cure campaign to raise an additional $25 million in the next five years. This level of support for WM research will allow for more advanced research and multi-institution projects, which will bring us even closer to a cure. Your gift will make a significant difference toward effectively treating WM and prolonging lives – we know that scientific advances, funded through your past generosity, have tripled the longevity of WM patients post-diagnosis. We need your help now.
Every dollar donated for research is used to support an IWMF approved research project…not a single penny goes to overhead. Each research proposal received by the IWMF is vetted by our Scientific Advisory Committee, comprised of the most prominent WM researchers and clinicians from around the world and by our Research Committee. These are the WM research projects currently being supported by the IWMF, and these are former research projects supported by the IWMF.
Major gifts may be directed to a specific research project or to create your own named gift fund.
For those diagnosed before the year 2000, there were few treatment options. Because of the many advances that have resulted from IWMF-supported research, today there are multiple therapies available. This wouldn’t have happened without support from WMers like you!
You can make a gift online(link is external), by mail, or call us at 941-927-4963.