South Brunswick Man To Hike Mt Washington, Raise Funds For Cancer

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — In June 2018, South Brunswick resident Artie Bifulco was busy spending his weekends throwing water balloons with his children and coaching softball teams.

Two months later, he was walking with help of a cane. Midway through June, Bifulco was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and the effect was quick. Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that affects the immune system and starts in specific white blood cells called plasma cells. These cells are mostly found in the bone marrow.

“It was eating away at my spine, which was creating the pain and the difficulty walking,” Bifulco said. “It was a scary time - not knowing what’s happening, not knowing if I could hold my children again. Here I am in my late 30s, lying in bed while my wife was doing everything for me.”

During this period Bifulco’s family rallied around him – providing spiritual and emotional support. Community members and close friends came together to help the family, bringing them meals and lending a hand in any way they could. Bifulco soon met with a surgeon to have his spine stabilized.

Although Bifulco has not gotten to beat back the disease “far enough to remission,” today he is in better health. Bifulco is taking up an extraordinary task – to hike Mount Washington and raise money for multiple myeloma research — a joint initiative between CURE Media Group and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) with sponsorship from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

“It started because I called the MMRF and I said, ‘Hey, I'd like to do my own event,’ like a triathlon. They pointed me towards this hike,” Bifulco said.

The Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma program involves a team of hikers including patients with multiple myeloma, caregivers, friends, and family members hiking to raise funds and awareness for the disease that currently has no cure.

The official climb was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, but Bifulco decided to continue with his fundraising efforts. He is joined by his wife and sisters in this hike. The Bifulco family is already on their way to Mt. Washington and hopes to embark on the hike on Friday.

“Cancer makes you realize you have no control over anything. But I try not to focus too much on myself, instead do things for others. Although I can't necessarily help myself, I can help the cancer community by raising funds for multiple myeloma,” Bifulco said.

The South Brunswick resident credits his faith for keeping him strong during tough times.

“God brought me back. Personally, I have a deep relationship with God and trust in him that something good can come out of this nightmare. I have to remind myself that it's going to be okay. The key to my mental strength is God and family.”

Bifulco also reminds people to be kind to one another. “When people look at me, they don't know that I have cancer. We run into people every day who are suffering from something — be kind, cut each other some slack,” Bifulco said. “And one more thing – be grateful for every day.”

To help Artie raise funds for multiple myeloma research, click here.

For more information on the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, click here.

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