Inspirational Stories

My mother died of multiple myeloma (MM) in 2001, 10 months after her diagnosis. She lived in a small town where the only treatment they offered her was chemo infusions. She was on dialysis the whole time. She was brave but scared, nonetheless. She didn't have much time to process the whole experience. I was 51 at the time and still believed I was bullet-proof! Silly girl!

Then I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. A lumpectomy was done, and I opted out of any other treatment but some high vitamin infusions. Seems my body, once it learned the cancer production mode, went into high gear. Two years later, the sore shoulder I was nursing was found to be a bone tumor, and I was off and running with my own case of MM! At first, I was in denial. Then I was scared. I wondered how many Christmases I might have left. My last visit with my mother was to decorate every room in her house (yes, even the bathrooms) for the holiday. I loved the colors and the lights, and I began to measure my cancer journey by how many Decembers I might enjoy still. I am approaching my sixth December! I truly never dreamed I could last this long! But medicine has improved exponentially, and I have a great medical team behind me. From the beginning, they got me grants from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to help me with my deductible. They were willing to switch medications when I didn't tolerate them well or when they made my hair start to fall out. Mom died bald, and I am determined not to go out the same way!

I've actually had it pretty easy so far. Pain has been bad on some occasions, but it always seems to run its course quickly and leave. Radiation has helped twice, and again, the staff there was amazing and made me feel like I was getting a spa treatment more than a cancer treatment. I've considered CAR T-cell therapy, but it isn't offered in my city, so I've not pursued it with much interest. I cannot decide if the physical limits I've placed on myself are just me being a scaredy cat about bone breakage or advancing age making me less strong. I have come to a place of peace about my eventual demise. None of us are getting out of here alive anyway, right? I've just spent more time than many contemplating what that would look like. I am no longer afraid to fly. Bonus! I still buy new clothes now and then because I like to look my best, and I'm planning on more time. I've come to love people more and smile at everyone I pass by. I start conversations with strangers to let them know that they are seen and appreciated. I love this life (even if it is full of medical treatments and procedures), but I am also calm about the eventual, eternal sleep headed my way. I have had help from so many wonderful organizations and the people in them that I cannot say this is a lesson I wish I'd skipped. Everything has been for my enlightenment.