News & Events
MMRF Chicago Walk Marks 25 Years of Impact for Multiple Myeloma Patients
For more than two decades, the Chicago Walk has helped drive progress for patients while raising millions for MMRF research.
On October 24, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation® (MMRF®) and the Chicago community will come together at Montrose Harbor to celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of the Foundation’s most enduring events: the MMRF Chicago Walk.
“The Chicago Walk has been part of the MMRF story almost from the beginning,” said MMRF Chief Mission Officer Anne Quinn Young, MPH. “What started with a small base of supporters has grown into a community of patients, families, researchers, healthcare providers, and advocates who share a deep commitment to improving outcomes for people with myeloma.”
Since the first Chicago Walk in 2001, 25,000 participants have logged more than 77,000 cumulative miles and raised over $9 million for the MMRF’s groundbreaking research initiatives and patient support and education programs. The first Chicago Walk also marked the launch of the MMRF’s nationwide Walk program, which has raised millions of dollars for the MMRF’s mission to date.
Twenty-five years ago, myeloma was a very different disease. Patients had limited treatment options, and just 39 percent of patients were alive five years after a myeloma diagnosis.
Today, there are more than 15 FDA-approved therapies for the disease, more than 60 percent of patients are alive five years after a diagnosis, and a small number of patients are even considered cured. The MMRF and its partners have been behind many of the major scientific breakthroughs that have driven this progress.
Over the past 25 years, the Chicago Walk has grown from a local fundraising event into one of the MMRF’s flagship Walks. Following the 2002 death of Ann Landers just months after she was diagnosed with myeloma, the legendary advice columnist’s family partnered with the MMRF to elevate the Chicago Walk in its earliest years and fundraised for the organization.
In 2007, the MMRF created its Spirit of Hope Award, which recognizes an individual or team at each MMRF Walk who inspires hope and shows extraordinary commitment to the Foundation. The MMRF Spirit of Hope Award was created in honor of the late Torrance Campbell, who participated in the very first MMRF Chicago Walk and others until his passing in 2005.
To date, the MMRF has named over 300 Spirit of Hope honorees in Torrance’s honor. At this year’s Chicago Walk, the MMRF will honor team Andy’s Angels with the Spirit of Hope Award and will recognize team leader Michael Rosengarden with the Eric and Tani Gelber CoMMunity Award.
In 2011, Michael and Andrea Rosengarden signed up for the Chicago Walk and formed Andy’s Angels with their family and friends. The team has returned to the Chicago Walk every year since, raising funds in honor of Andrea and others affected by myeloma. Andrea passed away from complications of the disease in 2020.
“Andrea’s life and her courage continue to shape our family in quiet and profound ways, reminding us that love and memory do not fade, but evolve into a lasting legacy that carries forward into the next generation,” Michael Rosengarden said. “It is our family’s mission to help the MMRF find a cure for multiple myeloma for Andrea’s memory and legacy, for those still battling the disease, and for those we walk to celebrate and remember.”
As the Chicago Walk enters its next chapter, Quinn Young says its greatest legacy isn’t measured only in miles walked or dollars raised, but in the stories of families like the Rosengardens.
“The Chicago community has always been incredibly special. We’ve seen families continue to support the MMRF year after year, often in honor of loved ones they’ve lost,” Quinn Young said. “That enduring commitment is part of what has made the Chicago Walk such a meaningful and lasting force for patients and families affected by myeloma.”