Recently, some close family friends received some bad news. Our good friend – I’ll call her Betty – has been on the novel drug Imbruvica (ibruti­nib) for her ag­gres­sive lym­phoma. Betty was on the drug for 21 months, and we were all hopeful that it would continue to keep her lym­pho­ma at bay for many years to come. Unfortunately, she was just told that her lymphoma has returned, as evidenced by numerous tumors in her ab­do­men and back.

The plan was for her to go into a clinical trial if she could do …

It was a hot, sunny day. My husband Daniel had spent most of it clearing entrenched, obstinate English ivy from our fence. He enjoys yard work and the exercise was good for him, so I left him to it. Later on that night, a red, blistery rash appeared all over his hands, arms, neck, and legs. It would seem that some of the vines were mixed with poison ivy.

Taking the advice of a physician assistant, Daniel applied copious amounts of Zanfel and Caladryl until the rash was under control. This helped …

It’s funny how the most obvious things in life can escape your notice until you nearly miss the boat.

This was definitely the case for me recently. The wake-up call I answered has changed me as a caregiver, and it may be a friendly reminder to other caregivers and myeloma patients that the boat that’s sailing by could be about to run you over!

My moment of clarity came as I was lying on our front lawn at 3 a.m., covered in water and mud. A pipe near the foundation of …

A couple of years ago one of the office supply stores introduced the “EASY button.” The idea was that you push the button and everything was taken care of for you. I’ve been thinking about that button a lot lately, and imagin­ing what such a button could do for caregivers.

As with myeloma patients, every caregiver is different, and therefore their needs are special to their circumstances. But I think we can know some things in gen­eral about the journey that a caregiver goes through and what type of EASY button would be needed …

It’s one of the greatest opening lines ever penned. From his novel A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens tells us, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …” Set in London and Paris during the French Revolution, Dickens uses the differences between the two cities to paint contrasting portraits of life in extraor­di­nary times.

Through his characters’ experiences of fortune and misfortune, good and evil, life and death, destruction and resurrection, the reader comes to understand the world through dichotomy, or by seemingly opposite things. Through this …

Have you ever thought about the many television situation comedies, or sitcoms, that we watch? In almost every episode, there is conflict of some kind. The mom and dad argue about junior’s latest problem at school, parents struggle to keep their romance alive, and single people brave ill-fated dates in hopes of finding true love. With all these troubles, have you ever wondered why we tune in?

On shows like "The Big Bang Theory," we can’t wait to see Sheldon spurn Amy’s advances or watch him wreak havoc in poor Leonard’s life with recitations from …

The house is quiet, rain is steadily pouring outside, and I’m on my third cup of coffee, but the words aren’t coming easily this month. The truth is, I have a confession to make, and like any other confession, it’s hard to begin.

But, here goes: I haven’t been a very good caregiver lately.

It took me awhile to come to this realization. You see, I strive to be a great caregiver to my husband, Daniel. We’ve been in our roles for a while now, so I thought that I had this …