Say, how’s your brain working these days?

That’s a question for many cancer patients and survivors, but it is particularly one for those multiple myeloma patients who have had at least one stem cell transplant.

Getting a stem cell transplant is pretty intense.

First you start treatment with a cancer drug regimen, or radiation, to reduce the level of myeloma cells in your body and to get your myeloma into the best remission that can be accomplished.

Then you take drugs to make your bone marrow produce more stem cells…

In keeping with my “war-against-cancer” theme, I thought I’d touch on the topic of unsung heroes this month.

I had originally planned a different topic for this month’s column, but after reading Nancy D’s comment regarding not having a strong support group (in a reply to Nancy S’s recent column), I began reflecting on the people that support me.

Every war has its unsung heroes, those individuals that work behind the lines making sure the war runs smoothly but rarely getting the attention that those actually fighting the battle get.…

My last column sparked some interesting discussion about the balance between treating multiple myeloma aggressively enough to be effective, while minimizing side effects and maximizing quality of life.

This balance has many facets to it.

Everything in medicine comes down to a risk-benefit question.  How much risk is there to a treatment, and what is the expected benefit?

Sounds simple enough.  The problem is that the answer is not always clear, especially for any one individual.

Multiple myeloma is a disease with lots of choices and lots of treatment options. …

In the last two weeks, there have been several occasions where I’ve wished I could be in two places at once, or that I had a clone, or perhaps a private jet to transport me and my loved ones.  Life is full, but life also is good.

On February 4, my sister Deana was feted with a huge benefit in her honor.  Parents of children who play in the same hockey organization as Deana’s oldest two children, Andrew and Clare, threw the benefit to show their support for Deana and…

“Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.”
– Max Ehrmann, Desiderata.

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in July of 2009 at the age of 58. In hindsight, I should have known that a misfortune was developing because things started to change earlier that year.

The spring of 2009 was a late, cold one here in Calgary. Snow storms buffeted us almost weekly into May. Most outdoor exercise seemed to include snow shoveling and walking with snow boots on. Dreams of flower gardens and spring activities were…