David Wallace
17 Years Living with Polycythemia Vera. 6+ Years in Remission. 13 Years Turning That Experience into Action.

In 2009, a diagnosis of polycythemia vera changed everything. Not just my health, but my purpose. What started as one patient's search for answers became PV Reporter: a trusted resource that has now reached over 1.3 million visitors across 50+ countries, serving the global community of people living with myeloproliferative neoplasms.

How PV Reporter Began

When I first heard the words "polycythemia vera," I had no idea what they meant. My doctors offered limited information. The internet offered confusion. I spent the first four years after my diagnosis doing what most patients do: searching, questioning, and trying to make sense of a rare blood cancer that few people had heard of.

During that time, I realized something that changed the direction of my life: if I was struggling to find clear, reliable information as someone who was actively looking for it, how many other patients were out there feeling just as lost?

That search for answers did more than educate me. It led me to the treatment that changed my life. By becoming my own advocate, researching options, and pushing for the right specialist, I found a path to remission. I have now been in remission for over six years. That experience proved what I already believed: when patients have access to the right information at the right time, outcomes change.

In 2013, I launched PV Reporter to make that possible for others. Not as a medical professional, but as a patient who understood firsthand what it felt like to sit in a waiting room with more questions than answers. I built the site I wished had existed when I was diagnosed. A single, trustworthy place where MPN patients could access real research, expert insights, and the voices of other patients walking the same road.

Over the past decade, that personal project has grown into something far larger than I imagined. PV Reporter now publishes over 220 articles spanning medical research, treatment developments, patient stories, symptom management strategies, and interviews with leading MPN experts. We reach readers in more than 50 countries, and have helped an estimated 35,000+ patients directly or indirectly through the information, tools, and connections we provide.

By the Numbers

What Drives This Work

Everything on PV Reporter comes back to three commitments I made early on. These promises guide every article, interview, and resource we publish:

MPN Cancer Connection

In 2015, I founded MPN Cancer Connection, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that extends the mission of PV Reporter into direct patient support. Through MPN Cancer Connection, we have provided dozens of financial grants to patients in need and developed educational programs, outreach initiatives, and community resources that reach the MPN community where they are: at diagnosis, during treatment, and beyond.

Together, PV Reporter and MPN Cancer Connection form a comprehensive support system: one delivers the information, the other delivers the aid.

Featured In

Over 13 years of advocacy, my work has been recognized by national media, leading medical organizations, and patient advocacy groups:

• The Doctors TV Show // National television appearance raising awareness about polycythemia vera and myeloproliferative neoplasms
• The Bloodline with LLS (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) // "Pushing for a Diagnosis: A Polycythemia Vera Story" // Sharing the realities of seeking diagnosis and fighting for proper care
• Patient Power // Featured advocate profile highlighting years of MPN education and community building
• PV Pod // In-depth conversation on self-advocacy and why patient education changes outcomes
• PV Reporter on YouTube // Ongoing series of expert interviews, educational segments, and MPN awareness content
• Multiple podcast and media appearances // Regular guest on programs focused on rare blood cancers, patient empowerment, and clinical trial awareness

Trusted Across the MPN Community

Over the past decade, PV Reporter and MPN Cancer Connection have built working relationships with 10 pharmaceutical partners committed to advancing MPN treatments and patient education. I have held press credentials at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting for 10 consecutive years, the largest hematology conference in the world, and have attended the MPN Horizons International Conference for 9 years, staying at the forefront of global research developments.

These relationships are not sponsorships of opinion. They reflect a shared commitment to getting accurate, timely information into the hands of patients who need it most.

Where My Focus Is Today

After 17 years as a PV patient and over a decade of advocacy work, my priorities have sharpened around the areas where I see the greatest gaps between what patients need and what they currently receive:

Patient to Physician Communication

Too many patients leave appointments feeling unheard. I am working on tools and content that help MPN patients track symptoms, prepare for visits, and have more productive conversations with their care teams. Better communication leads to better outcomes.

Visibility for the Invisible Symptoms

MPN symptoms like brain fog, crushing fatigue, and bone pain are real, debilitating, and often dismissed. Through articles, videos, and patient stories, I am bringing visibility to the symptom burden that affects daily life, so patients feel validated and clinicians take notice.

Growing the Reach

New partnerships, expanded podcast programming, and educational collaborations are underway to ensure PV Reporter and MPN Cancer Connection reach more patients, in more countries, at the moments that matter most.

What You Will Find on PV Reporter

Every article, every video, and every resource on PV Reporter exists for one reason: so that no MPN patient has to face this journey without the information and support they deserve. Whether you were diagnosed yesterday or have been managing polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, or myelofibrosis for years, this community was built for you.