Inspirational Stories

My story starts on December 1st, 2016. I had just buried my baby brother 2 weeks before. Now I’m sitting in my oncologist's office with my mom. When the doctor said I had cancer and it’s called multiple myeloma (MM), I was completely stunned. I never heard of multiple myeloma. And of course, I get cancer that there’s no cure. The doctor continued to talk, probably for about 30 or 40 minutes or maybe just 10 minutes. I couldn’t hear anything. I was just thinking cancer=death. My ears did perk up when the doctor asked if I wanted to be in a clinical trial. I immediately said yes. If I can help at least one person, then it’s worth it. I had to fight this battle. I refuse to have my mom bury another child.
So I battled on for 10 months. I had my stem cells harvested in case I needed a bone marrow transplant. I had 3 bone marrow biopsies done also. During that time I was on Velcade. They had to lower the dosage of it because half of my right foot was going numb. My toes still have neuropathy. It’s supposed to last up to 5 years….it’s year 7 and I still have it.
I was able to get in remission in October 2017… a definite blessing. In October 2018, I was doing a breast cancer event with my dance class, U-Jam Fitness. When I got home that evening, I did a self-examination of my breast. I found a small lump in my right breast. I immediately called and made an appointment the next day. On November 2nd, 2018, my doctor called me and let me know that I have breast cancer. I was shocked again. I was diagnosed with 2 different cancers in 2 years. I had a lumpectomy on January 4th, 2019. Glad it was only stage 1. I had my genealogy tested. Found out that I have Lynch Syndrome. That means that I have a higher risk of getting other types of cancers. It was suggested that I get a hysterectomy. So I got the hysterectomy on May 25th, 2019. Now that’s 2 major surgeries 4 months apart.
I had to medically retire on August 1st, 2021. I wore out my cartilage in my knee so I’m walking bone on bone. It’s a good thing that I did. On February 22nd, 2022, my oncologist called me and stated that my lab numbers had skyrocketed again. I need to start chemotherapy ASAP. I was beyond shocked. I’ve been in remission for 5 years. I decided to have a bone marrow transplant. I had my stem cells harvested back in April 2017, when they harvested 6 million stem cells. They harvested another million more in November 2022. My bone marrow transplant began on December 27th, 2022. I was in the hospital for 3 weeks. The transplant went well. I still had my hair but when I returned home and took my scarf off and tried to comb my hair, it all came out. I was devastated. I knew it was going to happen but seeing it….combing it out was just unbelievable.
My hair and eyelashes are growing back, thank the good Lord. And I’m doing alright. I moved from California to North Carolina because the cost of living is ridiculous. Here's to hoping that my next chapter is going to go well.