Philadelphia, Pa. – (4/6/2016) – On Saturday, April 30, the Chestnut Hill College men's lacrosse team will join their East Coast Conference (ECC) brethren in the fight against Multiple Myeloma. Initiated by New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) Head Coach, Bill Dunn, the ECC's untied effort with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF, http://www.themmrf.org/) is designed to raise awareness in the fight against this hematological blood cancer. Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer, and although it is considered incurable, it is very treatable disease thanks to recent advancements in cancer research that are funded by events like this.
 
To help raise funds and awareness for the MMRF, the Chestnut Hill College men's lacrosse team will charge an admission price of $5 for adults (18+) and $3 for students (ages 12-18) (Children 12 and under are free, as are Chestnut Hill College students with a school identification card) with all proceeds going directly to charity.
 
Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that affects the plasma cells, which once afflicted, accumulate in the bone marrow, crowding out the normal plasma cells that help fight infections. These malignant plasma cells then produce abnormal proteins (m protein) which can cause tumors, damage the kidneys, and impair the immune system. In some cases, the malignant cells may cause a single tumor, called a solitary plasmacytoma, but if multiple tumors are formed then the disease is called multiple myeloma. Fortunately, The MMRF has revolutionized the way multiple myeloma is treated, substantially improving the life expectancy of multiple myeloma patients. Since its inception, the MMRF has helped introduce nine new drugs and through the power of new technology, genomics, and immunology, lives are now being saved.

One such life is Coach Dunn's who was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in April of 2002. After undergoing radiation therapy, steroid and drug treatments, Coach Dunn had a successful surgery for a tumor in November of 2002. He has been in remission since 2007 and has been associated with the MMRF for the last three years thanks to the encouragement of Maureen Gil, who is the founder of TEAM BEARS, a group started at NYIT that has annually organized the MMRF 5K in New Caanan, Connecticut.
 
For more information about the MMRF please use the provided link; http://www.themmrf.org/.