While living with multiple myeloma, I have learned to expect the unexpected.

In fact, Myelomaville is a land of Great UNexpectations – my sincere apologies to Charles Dickens.

I certainly never expected that my mildly annoying backache, which rather quickly deteriorated into excruciating pain, would usher in a life-altering diagnosis of cancer.

It seemed that I always had something important to do, places to be, schedules to keep, and people to see.  My dance card was perpetually full, but I liked being the conductor of my own proverbial train, traveling at a …

A freezing rain was coming down that mid-January 2009 morning as I arrived at the hospital to continue round number two of induction chemotherapy in my ongoing battle against multiple myeloma.

Although I was feeling the unpleasant side effects and exhaustion of the rather aggressive treatment, I was nonetheless in good spirits.

My fingers were crossed that it would be an uncomplicated, give-some-blood, get-some-chemo, and skedaddle-on-home, kind of day. That was the plan anyway.

Sharing an umbrella, my wife and I sloshed up the wet concrete sidewalk to the infusion center.

To …