Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month at Amgen "Spotlight Myeloma" Skylight in Thousand Oaks

On Monday night I noticed a skylight in Newbury Park and assumed it must have related to a business. I tried to track it down but decided it was too late, so I went home.

Tuesday night, March 6th, I noticed the same skylight, a bright blue line that could be seen from the 101 in Thousand Oaks. At first I thought it was coming from Brendan's Irish Pub off of Ventu Park Road, but to no avail. But I followed Ventu Park up towards Amgen and, wallah, I managed to track down the light. It was coming from the roof of a parking structure.

I learned from an Amgen friend that this was part of a month-long multiple myeloma awareness initiative at Amgen in March. 

According to Amgen's BloodCounts.com website, "Blood Counts is a national effort to raise awareness about multiple myeloma through the sharing of personal stories. Through real-life accounts of persistence and hope, Blood Counts aims to shed a light on what matters most when it comes to treating blood cancer."

Multiple myeloma, also known as plasma cell myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells. There are no cures for this cancer that affects about .7% of the U.S. population. Without treatment survival rate is typically seven months. With current treatments, survival can be four to five years.