After a stormy, cold winter in the northern hemisphere, I think we are all looking forward to spring in all of its glorious aspects: longer days, spring flowers in the gardens, return of the migrating birds, and warmer tem­per­a­tures.

Spring is also the time when a lot of people change out the content for their closet, putting away the winter boots, warm coats, mitts, and scarves to make room for lighter clothing, both in texture and in color.

As I put away my winter gear, my thoughts wander back four years when I made some really dramatic changes in my wardrobe.

After having suffered several vertebral compression fractures in the early summer of 2009, I lost more than an inch in height, which threw my wardrobe into disarray.

The waistbands on any fitted clothing no longer fit me, and I spent months wearing my yoga pants, since nothing else fit.

I finally recognized that I had to give away a lot of clothes and go shopping for new ones.

I didn’t want to buy any clothes that featured horizontal lines, for that would only accentuate the loss of height. Nor did I want to wear belted clothing for the same reason.

Whenever I was shopping for new clothes, I was careful to ask for advice from the sales ladies. I found that if I told them that I was fighting cancer, they would spend a lot of time helping me to find a new look. The same was true at makeup counters. During that time, I was trying to look as nice as possible to lift my own spirits.

Because I had been injured and the last thing I wanted to do was to fall down again and experience further injuries, I threw out all of my high-heeled shoes. I didn’t feel secure any more walking around in them. I also thought that the strain on my back was too much if I wore heels higher than a couple of inches.

Good shoes help so much with stability and mobility. I have since switched to more athletic training shoes, as well as comfortable walking shoes, sandals, and boots. There are even shoes available now that com­bine a fashion ‘upper’ with an athletic shoe sole. All of these types of shoes help me to be more active, which has become very important to me.

My lifestyle has changed quite a bit since my initial diagnosis four years ago. It now includes working from home, walking outdoors, going to the gym, exercising in a swimming pool, cycling when the pathways are clear of snow and ice, singing in a choir, and attending a lot of meetings. In addition, my husband and I travel for vacations and to conferences when we can.

More so than before, I now am able to dress for comfort, and do not have to wear professional office clothing.

I now look for casual, well-made clothing that is flattering and easy to move around in. I have had good luck with knits, since they are comfortable, and can be fashioned cleverly to hide figure flaws.

Other fashion items that I added to my wardrobe were shawls that I threw over my shoulders to hide the Hickman catheter, which I had for several months during the transplant process.

I have always liked jewelry and bought a couple of bracelets that are related to my myeloma. One is a silver bracelet sold by my support group that features a powerful cancer fighting statement. Another is a bracelet made of clear and burgundy crystals, the color for myeloma.

I have also in­vested in nice clothes for exercising, since that encourages me to stay fit. I have found that the synthetic material that breathes and is machine washable works particularly well. I have a dry-fit T-shirt, in red and white, from my support group’s annual walk/run, which I wear with pride at the gym. I have also in­vested into a flattering swimsuit that helps to propel me towards exercising or swimming in the pool.

One other item that turned out to be quite a fun fashion accessory is the wig that I wore after my stem cell transplant in early 2010. It not only covered my bald head but also served as a hat during the cold winter months. It had no grey hairs in it and made me look younger instantly, which helped me tremendously to get through this difficult time. My hair has since grown back in, firstly quite wavy, and now is how it was pre­vi­ous­ly. My hairdresser has helped me to get a series of changing styles as my hair has grown longer.

As you can see, I have been through some major fashion changes in the last few years due to my myeloma journey. I’m happy to say that I think my wardrobe now suits my current lifestyle perfectly.

How has your myeloma diagnosis affected your wardrobe?

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The quotation for this month is from Coco Chanel (1883 - 1971), a French fashion designer, who wrote "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening."