Despite my love for sports and the fact that I have been directly involved in sports in one form or another for most of my life, I have found that there are not many sports movies worth watching. Few, if any, have realistic sports action scenes, and it is obvious that the writers and producers know very little about sports or, giving them the benefit of the doubt, it is just too difficult to create sports action that resembles what we see in live sporting events.

While the action in none of the Rocky movies is very realistic from a pure boxing standpoint – no one could possibly take the punches that they trade in the fight scenes – one of my favorite sports movies is "Rocky III." For those who have never seen the movie or can’t remember what this movie was about, Rocky III is the third installment of the Rocky series, where the nearly retired Rocky is challenged by the younger and stronger "Clubber Lang", played by the actor Mr. T.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when Rocky is getting pummeled by Clubber Lang in their second fight. Rocky taunts Clubber. "You ain't so bad, you ain't so bad, you ain't nothin'. C'mon, champ, hit me in the face! My mother hits harder than that!”

So what does this have to do with having multiple myeloma?

Since my last column, I traveled to Houston to attend the funeral of my nephew Jason, who passed away at the age of 33 after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. My sister asked me to be a pall bearer and also to speak at the funeral.

After we placed the coffin in its place for the graveside service, the funeral director instructed those of us who were pall bearers to stand together off to the side. From where I stood, I was virtually facing my sister, her husband, and my niece, and I could see the agony of the family as the service progressed and different speakers paid tribute to Jason. It was difficult to watch and maintain my composure.

When it came my turn to speak, I tried to convey to everyone how strong Jason had been by comparing his experiences with the difficulties I had during my autologous stem cell transplant. I described how, on the seventh day of the transplant process, I remember praying that if it was “my time,” I was ready to go. Jason, on the other hand, insisted on making a family trip to Disney World a month before he passed away after enduring more than a year of numerous treatments and clinical trials that often were every bit as difficult as an autologous stem cell transplant.

In my comments, I also spoke to the fact that my sister and her husband had been such strong witnesses and examples for us to follow. I believe, and said, that it is often more difficult being the caregiver than the patient. As patients, we become so involved and caught up in carrying out the game plan of the treatment regimen and the challenges involved with that, that we often forget about the long-term effects, which can be dismal. Caregivers, on the other hand, struggle with both the short-term and long-term challenges, which can be emotionally and mentally draining.

Later, when talking about the funeral with my family, the Rocky scene I described earlier came to mind. When­ever discussing my current condition with others, whether it be close friends and family who are very familiar with my situation, or someone with whom I am discussing my situation and multiple myeloma for the first time, I always try to end the discussion by saying "There are a lot of people worse off than me." And that’s why I can say to multiple myeloma “You ain’t so bad, you ain’t so bad.”

I can say that because, unlike pancreatic cancer, multiple myeloma in most cases is not an imminently terminal diagnosis. Multiple myeloma is treatable, and despite the fact that many of the treatments are toxic and the side effects life altering, these side effects can be controlled through medications, and a near normal life can be led.

However, because of the toxicity of these treatments and their side effects, I can’t repeat the second part of Rocky's taunt – the part where he says “C'mon, champ, hit me in the face! My mother hits harder than that!” Being diagnosed with multiple myeloma and treated for multiple myeloma is a hit in the face, and even in its mildest form, it cannot be compared to being hit by our mothers.

As "Rocky III" fans remember, Clubber flails away at Rocky, throwing everything he has into knocking Rocky out, but all he does is punch himself out. Rocky ends up knocking Clubber out and avenging his earlier loss to the younger, stronger fighter. Multiple myeloma throws everything it has at us, and the current treatments can do nothing more right now than to blunt the blows, as Rocky did, until a countering knockout punch can be delivered by new treatments or a cure.

While multiple myeloma “ain’t so bad,” I realize that it will probably cut short my life, and as I get older, the symptoms of the disease and treatments will become more challenging. I only hope that I can face those times with the strength and courage that Jason did, and that my family can be as brave, and present such a wonderful witness to their faith and family, as my sister did.

Rest in peace, Jason.