Inspirational Stories

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) five months after the death of our oldest son. A very odd pelvic pain sent me to a clinic where bloodwork and a CAT scan were performed. The CAT scan exposed a lesion on my rib. I made an appointment right away with an oncologist. He suspected MM but ran all the appropriate tests to confirm and stage my myeloma. At that time, my kappa light chains were around 1,800. I qualified for the VRD treatment regimen followed by an autologous stem cell transplant. My transplant was on August 17, 2019. I was really low emotionally but knew I had to fight this cancer. I prayed for my son to help me all along the way. I even imagined he was with me in the hospital room for those 17 difficult days.

I responded well and, in time, resumed VRD. Because I responded well and because I was having problems with neuropathy, my oncologist and I decided to stop treatment and just monitor my bloodwork monthly. I stopped chemo in September 2021, and then when my kappa light chains started rising and were just over 100 for three months, we resumed treatment in February 2023. I am now on Darzalex, Revlimid, and Dex monthly. My numbers have remained at healthy levels, and both my oncologist and I are really pleased. He and I have talked about my initial diagnosis and the timing. I asked if the trauma of losing our son could have triggered the change in my body to start this process. He believes that is likely. I do believe that my son has walked with me along this path and that he is never far away. He certainly was by my side when no one else could be during my transplant.