Nancy Shamanna's Archive

Nancy Shamanna lives in Calgary, Canada, and was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2009 at the age of 58. Since then, she has been successfully treated with induction therapy, a stem cell trans­plant, and maintenance therapy. She was left with bone damage which she hopes will remain at a stable level. Nancy, who has two adult children, is currently working for her husband's busy medical practice. She has been a school and community volunteer for many years. Her current hobbies in­clude singing in a choir, stitching with a local needle and fiber arts guild, and discussing interesting authors in a book club. She is also actively involved with other myeloma patients and caregivers in her area of Alberta, Canada.

Nancy Shamanna has written 97 article(s) .

[ by | Nov 30, 2017 12:56 pm | 6 Comments ]
Northern Lights: My Favorite Four-Legged Friend

I’m sure you have heard about the thera­peutic effects, both physical and emotional, of pets in humans. I can attest to that effect from my own personal experi­ence, especially since the time I have been dealing with multiple myeloma.

A golden doodle, which is a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle, came into our family as a puppy in 2012. This was about three years after my multiple myeloma diagnosis, so the dog did not know me when …

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[ by | Oct 20, 2017 1:00 pm | 9 Comments ]
Northern Lights: Staying Positive

We just celebrated Thanksgiving this month here in Canada. It’s an op­por­tun­ity for families and friends to gather together, have a feast of their choice, and pause to reflect on their blessings in life.

This year, I felt very positive, and I was grateful for so many things in my life.

I felt very different in the autumn of 2009 when I recently had been diag­nosed with multiple myeloma. I was depressed and in a mild state of panic. …

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[ by | Sep 15, 2017 6:02 pm | 5 Comments ]
Northern Lights: Watching Patiently Month By Month

Last month, we were all reminded of the role the solar system plays in our lives. The moon’s orbit crossed the path of the sun on August 21, blocking sunlight for a few minutes from reaching those parts of the earth in the path of the eclipse. In North America, many millions of people experienced a total or partial solar eclipse.

I went for a walk in the morning before the scheduled eclipse. Two ravens sat overhead in spruce …

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[ by | Aug 25, 2017 1:02 pm | 8 Comments ]
Northern Lights: Trying Not To Be A Perfectionist

The dictionary defines ‘perfectionism’ as the refusal to accept any standard short of perfection.

So what would the meaning of perfectionism be in the case of someone with multiple myeloma?

I think that one aspect of perfectionism in multiple myeloma could be a desire to be in a stringent complete response – that is, not having any blood test or bone marrow biopsy results that would indicate the presence of multiple myeloma.

This is an admirable goal, but is it …

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[ by | Jul 26, 2017 9:37 am | 15 Comments ]
Northern Lights: Physical Changes During My Myeloma Journey

In mid-July, I went hiking with my husband and a visiting cousin from Los Angeles. We decided to hike to Parker Ridge, in Banff National Park, even though it is a 187-mile (300 km) drive from Calgary. We hadn't hiked this path since 2008, when we were driving from Jasper National Park to Calgary, along with my mother.

There were several reasons why it had taken us so long to return after a nine-year gap, apart from the distance …

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[ by | Jun 27, 2017 6:29 pm | 14 Comments ]
Northern Lights: Summer Reading Suggestions

I have been busy at home here with gardening, childcare, office work, and craft­ing. I nevertheless decided to make some time and read some books that I had been interested in for some time now.

I am glad that I did spend some quality time reading, in between other activities. Perhaps the fact that we are near the summer solstice now and thus have a lot of daylight makes it easier on the eyes to read! By reading just …

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[ by | May 17, 2017 6:04 am | 19 Comments ]
Northern Lights: Meshing Two Diagnoses

At the end of April, prairie crocuses in bloom, I planted pansies and car­na­tions in planters, and then another winter storm dropped more snow on us – our version of April showers! Now, two weeks later, and after having some warm and sunny days, my garden is springing back to life. Little bulbs, such as Siberian squill, are in bloom, and the daffodils are in bud.

It’s hard to believe that two months have passed already since I last wrote …

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