Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a “Dream.” In perhaps the most inspiring and powerfully delivered speech of our generation, he outlined his ambitious goal of equality for all.

I have a dream too, although mine is far less encompassing – and decidedly more self-centered – than Dr. King’s.

For many years, my dream was pretty simple: live to the ripe old age of 93, surrounded by scads of grandkids and great grandkids. Live an active life right up to the end.

And then the doctor came into my hospital room last …

So why is hair so important? This may seem like an odd question to ask. As you will see, it is an especially unusual question for me to ask.

My hair has always been a very important part of my life.

As a child, when the relatives would gather and the family photos would come out, my mom would  always pass around one of me as a three-year-old standing on the beach with a full head of dark curly hair. “Oohs and ahs” were sure to follow.

As a teenager, once I …

It is familiar cliché. “If you are going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk.”

I am not sure of the origin of this phrase, but you see it most often in the context of athletics. Athletes who brag about their skills, the phrase argues, must live up to their boasts.

I had a different topic planned for this month’s column, but recent events caused me to change course and consider the importance of walking the walk.

Since being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, it has been my ex­per­i­ence that …

A couple of months ago, my girlfriend Audrey and I received email invi­ta­tions to my grandson Blake’s first birthday party. It was scheduled for June 28.

When Audrey and I discussed the invite later that day, she asked:  “You know what that day is?” I thought about it but I drew a blank. She said: “You know … that is THE DAY!”

Then it hit me.

It was June 28, one year prior, that I received the call from my family doc­tor telling me that the blood test I had taken earlier …

The title of this column is a bit of an overstatement. I never lived alone as a her­mit in a cabin in the woods. I have loving, caring family and friends.

However, I have always been comfortable with a fair amount of alone time. In fact, I often crave it.

I heard a recent radio interview with Jane Goodall, the famous prima­tol­o­gist and anthropologist. The interviewer asked her if spending years in the jungle among the chimpanzees drove her stir crazy. She said, “Not at all. From the time I was a …

Hello fellow Myeloma Beacon readers. My name is Andrew (Andy works too), and I have been an avid consumer of the many resources offered by The Beacon since my myeloma diagnosis at the end of June 2013.

Throughout my myeloma journey so far – which has included induction treat­ment and a stem cell transplant at the end of January of this year – I have found it particularly helpful to read what others have experienced during their own jour­neys down the path I am now traveling.

Thus, to return the favor, I …