Volunteer highlight – Mark Scott  

We’re incredibly fortunate to have hundreds of volunteers across the charity who give their time to support our work. This includes people who talk about their own experiences at events, either for patients and families or for healthcare professionals, and who raise funds by organising their own community events.

We’re sharing Mark’s story as a “thank you” to him and to all of you who give your time to us.    
 

Getting involved with patients and families 

Mark was diagnosed with myeloma in 2018. It took around 210 days to diagnose Mark’s illness from first going to his GP with symptoms, and he needed intensive treatment.  

While recovering from high-dose therapy and a stem cell transplant in 2019, Mark saw a request from Myeloma UK on social media for a patient to speak at an Infoday for patients and families in Liverpool.  

Mark said:

“I’m a High School teacher and had been off work for nearly a year by that stage. The chance to use my skills in talking to an audience really appealed to me, and I enjoyed developing and presenting the talk, it felt like a slice of normality. Talking to patients feels like I’m talking to friends. It was very cathartic and I got some lovely feedback.” 

Helping to educate GPs to spot myeloma  

Early myeloma diagnosis helps patients start treatment quickly and avoid complications. Mark was asked to speak to GPs at two ‘Best Practice’ conferences in 2022 and 2023. His presentations focused on early diagnosis and the collective desire to improve diagnosis times and outcomes for patients.   

The Conference in Birmingham in 2022 was Mark’s personal highlight:

“It felt special talking to over 200 GPs in an auditorium about my experience. I want to get the message out there about the importance of early diagnosis.”

Taking part in fundraising  

Over the summer, Mark invited friends, teachers, pupils and their families at Byrchall High School to join in Myeloma UK’s Challenge 24 fundraising event.

“It was life-affirming that all those people cared enough to support me and Myeloma UK. The charity has given incredible support to both myself and my wife Emma, and it has been a pleasure to work with everyone as a volunteer.”

Our thanks go to Mark and everyone at Byrchall High School for raising more than £4,000 for Myeloma UK!  

If you would like to find out more about volunteering with Myeloma UK, contact us at: volunteering@myeloma.org.uk