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LOS ANGELES,
CA (November 7, 2017) – On November 4th,
the International Myeloma
Foundation (IMF) presented its 11th Annual
Comedy Celebration benefiting the Peter
Boyle Research Fund and supporting the Black
Swan Research Initiative® (BSRI) at The Wilshire Ebell
Theatre in Los Angeles, CA.
Ten-time host Ray
Romano was joined by fellow comedians Hannibal
Buress, Rachel Feinstein, Nikki
Glaser, Robert Klein, Marc
Maron, Iliza Shlesinger,
and Fred Willard, who
each took the stage to perform for an unforgettable evening of
comedy. Veteran comedian Rene
Hicks opened the show in a big way drawing huge laughs from
the crowd while also sharing her personal experience with
myeloma noting the healing benefits of laughter.
Additional attendees included Patricia
Heaton (The Middle), Howard
Hesseman (Fresh Off the Boat), Jake
Smollet (Food Network’s Smollett Eats), James
Burrows (Director, Will & Grace), Grace
Gibson (All Eyez on Me), Lanny
Joon (Baby Driver), Lesley
Nicol (The Catch), and Sandra
Caron (Actress), plus IMF executives Dr.
Brian Durie (IMF Chairman of the Board), Loraine
Alterman Boyle (Event Chair & IMF Board Member), Susie
Novis (IMF Founder & President) and more.
Prior to the show, attendees enjoyed a silent
auction featuring iconic memorabilia and other one-of-a-kind
items and experiences to benefit this important cause. Among the
items featured were VIP Tickets to a Saturday Night Live taping,
an autographed guitar by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, an
opportunity to have Ray Romano record your voicemail greeting,
and more. Select items will be available for bidding on CharityBuzz.com/IMF until
November 16, 2017.
For the first time, the IMF presented an
exclusive live stream of the red carpet arrivals prior to the
show on the International Myeloma Foundation’s Facebook page.
Co-hosted by TV personality Alie
Ward and Miss Black USA
Daphne Lee, the live stream featured red carpet interviews
with attending celebrities and myeloma experts, as well as an
exclusive look into the into the silent auction display. A
replay of the entire live stream can be viewed on Facebook.com/myeloma.
Proceeds from event benefit the Peter
Boyle Research Fund, named for the beloved actor who died in
2006 after a four-year battle with myeloma – an incurable cancer
of the bone marrow plasma cells and one of the fastest growing
blood cancers in the world. Since the first event in 2007, the
annual IMF Comedy Celebration has featured over 50 celebrity
comedians and musical performers, and raised more than $6.5
million.
For the fifth year, the event also supports the
International Myeloma Foundation’s signature Black
Swan Research Initiative® (BSRI), a groundbreaking and
collaborative global project aimed at developing the first
definitive cure for myeloma. Through the Black Swan Research
Initiative, the IMF is conducting 30 concurrent studies to find
the cure, and is supporting studies around the world including
in Iceland, Hungary, and India. Recently, the IMF achieved the
unprecedented ability to launch two targeted myeloma “cure”
trials — CESAR and ASCENT.
About the
International Myeloma Foundation (IMF)
For 27 years, the International
Myeloma Foundation has remained dedicated to improving the
quality of life of myeloma patients through its four founding
principles: Research, Education, Support, and Advocacy. The IMF
is a world-recognized leader in myeloma with a global reach of
over 450,000 members in 140 countries worldwide – including
patients, caregivers, family members, physicians, nurses, and
other healthcare professionals. Through their signature research
program, the Black Swan Research Initiative® (BSRI), the IMF is
on the cusp of finding a cure for a subset of myeloma patients.
The IMF is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to
improving lives and finding a cure. The IMF can be reached at
(800) 452-CURE (2873). The global website is myeloma.org. Follow
the IMF on Twitter @IMFmyeloma.
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