We have adapted to our new realities and have complied with both, recommendations and regulations necessary to protect our health, the health of our loved ones and our community at large. Our lives have been uprooted, our values challenged and our routines disrupted in ways that no one could have predicted. Being flexible, adaptable and resilient have been the focus of so much being written, studied and experienced.

Living within a pandemic has challenged our notion of status quo…much like living with the diagnosis of any chronic or fatal disease. You come to accept new ways of being, new ways of acting and behaving….some tedious, some not, and others that may feel unnatural. For those not stricken by the coronavirus, one of the hardest adjustments has been the varying degrees of social isolation, understanding ‘bubbles’, and of course, physical distancing, especially when it comes to our family and friends.

The term, pandemic fatigue has been coming up more often, especially as governments – under the guidance of their healthcare agencies – have eased up on protocols, allowing for more social interaction and the re-opening of the economy. Here there are three common responses: some embrace these revisions with gusto, are letting their guard down and are essentially resuming their lives in a ‘I’ve been fine so far, so I’m not worried’, manner; others are safely following the new guidelines; the third group is experiencing a new-found anxiety about the safety surrounding the loosened procedures. Two of this week’s articles address these issues. The other two pieces focus on raising awareness of racism in healthcare and on the government’s pledge to invest $82.5 million to improve access and address the growing demand for mental health services in Indigenous communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We know that your in-boxes are full these days and we don’t want to add to the clutter. With that in mind, we’ve decided to cut down the frequency of our bi-weekly COVID-19 InfoBulletins to once a month. From this point forward, updates and pandemic-related news will continue to be included in our monthly e-newsletter, Myeloma Matters, but you won't be receiving separate InfoBulletins unless there is an important shift in the state of affairs or any other critical news to be shared. In either of these cases, we will of course, let you know as quickly as possible, as we always have. We will continue to update the COVID-19 web hub on our website (www.myeloma.ca) with articles that we think are both interesting and of importance to you, so be sure to keep visit the section regularly.

Take care, stay safe and stay well,

Martine

The webinars below, presented at no charge by either Myeloma Canada or other organizations, focus on myeloma, COVID-19 and/or related topics. Be sure to check out our website as well as our monthly Myeloma Matters e-newsletter for more information, and to stay up-to-date on other webinar announcements. 

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You can reach us at contact@myeloma.ca or toll-free at 1-888-798-5771.