In Other Words with Dave

Imagine snapping your forearm as you reach into your mailbox or shattering a few vertebrae during that perfect golf swing. Or simply rolling over in bed and fracturing your ribs. Fractures and bone pain are common ways people discover they have multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer. 

The rib fractures happened to me. One minute I’m sleeping soundly and a few hours later, I’m in the ER, looking at a scan of lesions scattered all over my chest, back, neck, and ribs. The doctor didn’t mince words: Cancer. No cure. Only treatment. Not exactly the best day. 

Multiple myeloma accounts for less than 2% of all cancers and only 10% of all blood cancers. The average age of diagnosis is 69, and the disease is more prevalent in individuals of African descent. Multiple myeloma affects plasma cells in bone marrow. These cells become abnormal and grow uncontrollably, crowding out healthy blood cells and damaging bones and organs. 

Five years in, my remission continues; I’m treatment-free and feeling great. The “feeling great” part took years of weekly chemo and medications, along with two stem cell transplants. I am optimistic about the future— both for myself and for many others affected by this disease, as research continues to bring promising new treatments. 

All this to say, March is Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month. Please consider yourself… aware. To learn more visit themmrf.org