We had a really long, cold winter with lots of snow and ice this year. Our Chinook winds, which bring warm air from over the mountains to the west, did not blow very often. When finally at the end of April our streets were clear of snow and a few spring bulbs came up in the garden, I was glad to get back to spending more time outdoors.

When I walk outdoors, I often listen to Ian Tyson’s song ‘Springtime in Alberta,’ a moody song with the lines, "Just like spring time in Alberta; Warm sunny days, endless skies of blue; Then without a warning; Another winter storm comes raging through."

That is more like my experience of spring every year, actually. I realized during one of my recent walks that I can also relate to the lines of the song figuratively in terms of my multiple myeloma diag­nosis.

I’m currently experiencing sunny days because I’m off treatment. However, I catch myself wondering what I will do if another storm comes raging through in the form of another relapse? I know that this is a possibility, and even quite likely. So just as I put on my protective coverings, boots, mitts, hat, and jacket to shelter myself from the wind and the cold on my walks, I try to prepare myself mentally in case I relapse and need more treatment.

To me, this ‘myeloma spring’ of being off of treatment for the second time in almost nine years has been a treat. My first break occurred from 2011 to 2014, before a relapse caused me to go back onto treat­ments. The second break occurred in 2016 when I experienced a second cancer, breast cancer, and went off of myeloma treatment for what I thought would be just a few months. That break has extended to a year and a half now. I try with my lifestyle of getting enough rest, exercising, and eating good food to stay healthy, but I know that this cancer can creep back up on me despite my best efforts at staying well.

My monthly blood tests are quite good, but that pesky ‘M’ protein is still evident, and seems to be increasing gradually. I am not ready for more treatment, though, and have really appreciated this ‘second spring.’

The additional energy I have had while being off treatment, and how much more I can accomplish, have been blessings.

During this second spring that I’m experiencing, my husband and I have been reorganizing, having some rooms painted in our house, and doing a ‘spring cleaning’ of epic proportions! We donated a lot of clothes, books, and craft supplies to the local thrift shop and to charity sales, leaving us more space in the house. We want to be heading into the next phase of our lives with as little clutter as possible. He is planning to work less so that we will have more time to spend together and with our family.

I hope and pray that my health holds up for a while longer while I am off treatment. However, I am greatly heartened to know that there are more treatments available for multiple myeloma than there were when I was diagnosed in July of 2009. At that time, Velcade (bortezomib), thalido­mide, dexa­metha­sone (Decadron), prednisone, and high-dose melphalan given during the stem cell trans­plant process were the primary treat­ment options. A year after that, Revlimid (lena­lido­mide) was approved here in Canada for relapse, and it now is approved for main­tenance therapy also. Then Pomalyst (pomalidomide) came along, and soon we should be getting funding in Alberta for Kyprolis (car­filz­omib), and perhaps even Darzalex (dara­tu­mumab) in the not-too-distant future.

So I couldn’t be needing treatment at a better time, if that should be the case. There have been significant advances made in the last decade.

Still, I am cautious and recognize that I am not able to do everything that I used to do. I am pacing myself, not only on my outdoor walks, but also in my scheduling of travel and in the outside responsibilities I take on. My main focus is to enjoy the family and extend my second spring as long as possible.

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The quotation for this month is from Henry Williamson (1895 - 1977), an English army officer, naturalist, farmer, and ruralist writer , who said: "Music comes from an icicle as it melts, to live again as spring water."