Since this article is being published the day after the 10^th anniversary of September 11, I felt it appropriate to dedicate this column to the first member of Team Beat The H*ll Outta Multiple Myeloma (BTHO MM).  While readers might think the first member would obviously be my sister Deana, who is the myeloma patient in our family, I contend our first member was Nurse Linda.

Without covering information already shared in my first column, Nurse Linda works at …

August 27 marked the four-month anniversary of my sister Deana’s diagnosis.

Our lives are forever changed.  We are still seeking the “new normal,” although I’m sure we won’t be able to define that until Deana is in remission.  So for now, we take each day as it comes.  I wouldn’t define it as the “abnormal,” but rather, the fight: Beat The H*ll Outta Multiple Myeloma, as our slogan goes.

I spent last weekend in Pittsburgh so that I could join …

For those following my story closely, you may recall that my sister Deana has three adorable children, Andrew (12), Clare (8), and Gregory (2).    I love these children as if they were my own, as I do not have any of my own…by choice.

I confess I have never wanted children and really cannot pinpoint the initial time and reason I came to this conclusion.  I often say that it is because my mother was (and remains) one of the …

My last column, A Call to Action, generated more feedback than the previous three. Clearly, I struck some nerves.

It was great to get more information on the work of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and its efforts toward eradicating blood cancers.  I deeply appreciate all the LLS does and in no way meant to disparage the organization. Rather, I’m envious of the LLS’ visibility and want to achieve the same for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) …

If you didn’t read Sean’s Burgundy Thread: Myeloma & Shiny Yellow Volkswagens, do not let another minute pass before you do.  Sean did a far better job than I did in Me & My Big Mouth of bringing light to multiple myeloma versus the “common cancers,” with terrific evidence of what I alluded to – once you are in the multiple myeloma family, suddenly you find out there are a number of people you know who are, too!

Sean’s column …

As my last column was published, I was in Quito, Ecuador, preparing to journey to the Galapagos Islands the following day. It was a trip planned before my sister Deana was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and even if I had been wise enough to purchase travel insurance, I doubt it would have worked in these circumstances.

For some reason, there are those I encounter who don’t think that a sibling counts as an “immediate” family member. How wrong they are. …

The feedback received from my first column – My Sister Has What?!?! – has been a great comfort to me and my family.  While I doubt that anyone welcomes the opportunity to join the world of cancer, the support among patients and caregivers is all that I had heard it was.  Thus, I begin by saying a heartfelt thank you to those who have reached out.

As I write this, Team Beat the H*ll Outta Multiple Myeloma (BTHO MM) marks …