As early summer is upon us here in the north, the wildflowers are in bloom, and the Canada geese and their goslings walk proudly along the Bow River. In our home garden, many lilac shrubs are in full bloom, and a hawthorn tree is flow­er­ing. Soon we will have mock orange and saskatoon shrubs in bloom too. I think that June is the most beautiful month here.

As the days are getting longer, it is great to be outdoors every day for some time. My husband and I frequently walk along the Bow River’s edge.

In the past, the Bow Valley here in Alberta was inhabited by First Nations peoples who had their own mythol­ogy and legends. Even now, there are stone tipi rings to be seen on hill tops. One of the legends that has be­come very popular and is now in the mainstream culture is that of the dream­catcher.

A dreamcatcher is a web made over a hoop, with feathers forming a fringe at the lower edge. The concept is that when one dreams, there are both good and bad dreams in the night air. The good dreams will pass through the web, and the bad dreams will be caught in the web and destroyed as the first rays of the sun strike them.

I had many bad dreams at the beginning of my multiple myeloma journey due to pain, worry, and the treat­ment side effects I experienced. The bad dreams included fears of the procedures I needed to undergo, such as bone marrow biopsies, the insertion of a central line, and the autologous (own) stem cell transplant. Worse even than bad dreams, I had nightmares concerning my crumbling bones, vertebrae, and whether or not I would even survive the myeloma for very long!

Other bad dreams I had were about the loss of friends who had multiple myeloma. Whether I met them online or in my local area, it really hurt every time someone I knew lost their battle with this cancer, and I processed the loss in my dreams.

Gradually over the years, I grew more used to having multiple myeloma, and with each year that I survived, I learned to relax more. The extreme pain I had at the time of my diagnosis due to vertebral fractures also disappeared, and with that came a return to a feeling of normalcy. If I had known seven years ago that I would be doing so well now, I am sure that my stress levels would have been lower.

With my relaxing more, my dreams shifted. Now, I have more good dreams than bad ones, and it has been easier for me to focus on other issues besides the myeloma.

For example, I dreamed about both of our daughters getting married and becoming a grandmother. Both of these dreams have become reality in the last couple of years, and this has led to much happiness.

I also dreamed about carrying on with exercising, volunteering, pursuing my hobbies, and working. I’m glad that these dreams have become reality as well. Being in a remission now also has helped me to follow these happier dreams in my life, even as the treat­ment of my myeloma continues.

Another good dream that I had and that has come true was that there would be advances made in the treat­ment of multiple myeloma. For example, I could now get subcutaneous Velcade (bortezomib), which would cause less neuropathy in my feet than intravenous Velcade. If I did not get neuropathy in my hands, I could keep up with needlework and typing.

I think I am less likely to get nightmares about the future because I have learned more about the treat­ment of myeloma since my diagnosis and I have more confidence in treat­ments working well for me. In addition, I think multiple myeloma may be becoming a chronic condition, albeit with the help of strong chemotherapies.

I still have bad dreams about my myeloma sometimes, but I find comfort in knowing that they will be caught in the web of the dreamcatcher and be destroyed with the light of the new day.

At a recent choir workshop, my fellow singers and I stood in a circle and passed a ball of yarn back and forth in the circle. The result was a circular web, which reminded me of a giant dreamcatcher. It could catch the bad dreams of all of us here at The Beacon.

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The quotation for this month is from Stephen Leacock (1869 – 1944), a Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist, who said: "It may be those who do most, dream most."