A Decade of Living with Multiple Myeloma

I’ve always loved end-of-year lists. I can’t get enough of them. I’ll buy magazines and watch a bunch of end-of-year shows.

I've also noticed a newer phenomenon: end-of-the-decade lists. I don’t remember these ever before. But I guess with the speed of changes and the flow of information, an end-of-decade list might make sense. And when I stop to think about it, I realize that I might have missed a whole lot.

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in early 2011. I’d been feeling sick for a few months before then. And in 2010, I had surgery, unrelated to myeloma. That represented the start of my decade of medical adventures.

Finding hope as new treatments emerge for multiple myeloma

The first couple of years after my diagnosis were uncertain and scary. So I wasn’t paying close attention to the world around me. In fact, I don’t think it was until 2016 when I started an immunotherapy that I could pay attention to things both important and trivial. I finally felt comfortable and healthy and able to enjoy things that I used to enjoy B.D., before diagnosis.

One of the biggest changes from 2010 to early 2020 was the the fortunate development of many new therapies for multiple myeloma.

In 2011, there weren’t that many choices for treatment. Now, more than ten years later, myeloma patients have a number of options. For me, the development of immunotherapy has been life-changing, both figuratively and literally. Life expectancy has increased for myeloma patients. In the coming decade, we expect to see new methods developed to harness the power of the immune system to fight cancer. These could give us another viable option for patients.

Finding joy and purpose beyond a cancer diagnosis

For me personally, there’s been some big highlights in my life when I look back at 2010 to about 2020. I got married. I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro. I’ve raised money for blood cancer research. I retired from work. I’ve met some amazing fellow patients and made wonderful new friends. I’ve changed quite a bit. I appreciate things like never before. Incurable cancer will do that to a person.

Getting back to what I’ve missed, 8-plus years of treatment has definitely impacted my cognitive capabilities. I know I forget things now. My wife reminds me of things we did that I don’t remember.  I lose things now: keys, a Kindle, my water bottle. To combat this, I’ve started reading more and doing crossword puzzles to keep my brain strong. Mind and body go together.

Although my body is struggling of late, as of my writing this. I’m definitely getting serious about fitness in the coming decade. I want and need to be the fittest cancer patient I can be.

Looking forward to the next 10 years

I’m looking forward to the next ten years. I have a sense of optimism that I couldn’t have imagined when I was diagnosed in 2011.