Last Sunday my wife, Pattie, and I were spending some quality “together time” around the house.

We don’t get to spend as much time together as one would think.  Like a lot of couples, we are both really busy.  Pattie works full time.  I spend much of my time writing, attending medical appointments, napping, or checking my email.  Then there’s work to do around the house, errands to run, and obligations to friends and family.

As of this weekend, I …

I returned home from my stem cell transplant late last month.  At first, my progress was uneven and a bit frustrating.  I would feel a bit better one day, only to backslide and lose ground the next.

But my third week home has been better.  My energy levels are rising, my unsettled stomach is improving, and I am able to perform more than one physical task without rest.

My wife has been taking an extra day off work each week …

It has been just over one month since doctors took my stem cells off ice and infused three million of them back into my body.

Considering all I had heard and read about how tough the stem cell transplant process is, I think I am doing remarkably well.

Yes, I still tire easily, and I’m battling a number of annoying side effects.  But I am able to write, get out, walk, and shop.  And I’m driving again—all in a short …

Last week I returned home after spending 16 days hospitalized in the Moffitt Cancer Center’s Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Treatment Unit, followed by seven days as an outpatient.

I wanted to wait a week until I felt better and gained some perspective before I shared details with you about my experience undergoing a stem cell transplant as treatment for my relapsed multiple myeloma.

But as it turns out, I’m not the story.  The story is the dozens of fellow stem …

As I finish the outpatient phase of my stem cell transplant, I have been receiving a bunch of emails asking for advice about when and how to go about getting a second opinion about one’s myeloma treatment.

I believe that a newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patient should always try to get a second opinion.  But I also believe a myeloma patient should consider seeking a second opinion anytime their oncologist/hematologist suggests a major treatment shift.

For example, maybe you are …

Hello again from the bone marrow transplantation inpatient unit at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.

I learned yesterday that I will be discharged today and move to outpatient housing. This is exciting news! I still have a long way to go, but with luck the worst is behind me.

I’m so relieved. I know my wife is, too. But now is not the time to relax.

There are dozens of little details to cover as I prepare to move into my new outpatient …

As my regular readers know, I am in the midst of my first stem cell transplant to treat my myeloma.

I don’t care how many doctors say this is a “tolerable” procedure--it isn’t any fun.

I am nauseous constantly, tired as my blood counts crash, and battling to keep diarrhea and mouth sores at bay.

But I’m always looking for a positive spin or silver linings as I wait for my stem cells to engraft.

For example, when I learned …