Pamela Roberts brother Greg lost his battle to cancer 3 years ago. After the loss, Roberts wanted her brothers legacy to live on.

"He was very warm hearted, very giving, a very kind person.  He'd be the kind of person who'd give you the shirt off his back."

Greg passed away in 2014 after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable form of cancer that affects the plasma cells in the bone marrow.

Yesterday (September 10th), walkers and runners from Airdrie and Calgary gathered at Airdrie's East Lake Park for the Second Annual Greg Roberts Memorial Walk and Run for Multiple Myeloma in memory of her brother.

Pam believes that Greg struggled through five years with the disease without a diagnosis.  

"He'd been suffering from collar bone pain, hip pain, back pain for about five years and he was trying all kinds of things but no one ever suggested a simple urine test for myeloma or a blood test or even an x-ray, any one of those would have discovered it.  He was out walking his dog and fell and thought he broke his arm.  It was through that he went to the hospital and had an x-ray and that's when they found that his arm and shoulder were full of myeloma lesions."

A stem cell transplant put Greg into remission for two years before the cancer returned and he passed away.

Roberts says every year around 2,000 people are diagnosed with multiple myeloma and with greater awareness comes better diagnosis.  

Roberts has lost two other family members, an aunt and an uncle, from the disease.    

Yesterday was the first time the walk and run has been held in Airdrie, but Roberts says it just made sense to hold it here, and she's glad she made that move.  

"Airdrie is a special place. My brother lived here and we'd come out to visit. The people of Airdrie are just so supportive and so wonderful. We've more than doubled the participation in Airdrie. I just feel that the people here have taken it and it's been very meaningful. The community has been so supportive and I will continue to hold it here."

During it's first year, the walk and run raised $16,000. This year the goal was to raise $25,000, Roberts said that with more money still to come in, as of yesterday they'd raised $30,000.

"I'm very humbled by the success, I have to tell you." 

 

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