When I Open My EyesThe mound of hope, pain, and uncertainty is high for so many. There are so many things we can count our blessings on, in light of circumstances. When I open...
Thoughts About the Loss of a Loved One or FriendSeveral months ago, I received a sad email notifying me that a fellow nursing colleague had passed away. Rosemary was the one of several colleagues who had been diagnosed with...
When I Open My EyesThe mound of hope, pain, and uncertainty is high for so many. There are so many things we can count our blessings on, in light of circumstances. When I open...
Thoughts About the Loss of a Loved One or FriendSeveral months ago, I received a sad email notifying me that a fellow nursing colleague had passed away. Rosemary was the one of several colleagues who had been diagnosed with...
When I Open My EyesThe mound of hope, pain, and uncertainty is high for so many. There are so many things we can count our blessings on, in light of circumstances. When I open...
Thoughts About the Loss of a Loved One or FriendSeveral months ago, I received a sad email notifying me that a fellow nursing colleague had passed away. Rosemary was the one of several colleagues who had been diagnosed with...
Snap, Crackle, Pop: Lytic Lesions and Multiple MyelomaOne of the biggest problems with a disease such as multiple myeloma is the damage to our bones. Though care is provided to control the cancer, the bones can and...
Leaping A High Mental HurdleA few months ago, I was talking with my nephew on the phone about his recent bicycling adventures. Riding is big in my family. I told him that I was...
Leave the ShoesThere is a tradition for Olympic wrestlers to leave their wrestling shoes on the edge of the mat when they have wrestled the last match of their career. When I...
My Long and Winding Road to DiagnosisI was born in May of 1970, the same month that the Beatles released “The Long and Winding Road.” 50 years later, as I reflect on the years preceding my...
Go Team!I like sports metaphors. Before retiring, I had a secret goal of putting in place a Monday morning tradition where my department’s co-workers were introduced, ala sports introductions, with walk-up...
Finding Re-mission in RemissionIt wasn’t me who thought of this clever double meaning to a much-beloved word in cancer circles. Instead, it was my high school English teacher, Mrs. Bruns. She has been...
Living with Multiple Myeloma as an African American WomanIs race an important factor in getting the proper treatment needed to fight blood cancer? Unfortunately, I would have to say yes, it is. Dealing with blood cancer, in general,...
Married to Myeloma (A Poem)Several years ago, I was single but still hopeful that I would find a life partner and possibly even get married again. Then came the myeloma diagnosis. The word ‘incurable’...
Deciphering TermsIt’s always great to hear about the new drugs that have made their way into the myeloma treatment spectrum. I know all too well that wasn’t the case over ten...
When Cancer Does Not Bring Family CloserWhen I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, I hoped that the disease that was damaging my body would also heal some strained family relationships. I envisioned family members bringing me...
