In last month’s column, I took a look at risks patients face in hospitals, mostly from the perspective of “adverse events” – harmful, even fatal, occurrences that are unrelated to your underlying medical problem.  They occur in almost a third of admissions.

Kent Bradley, one of the commenters on last month’s column, rightly pointed out that on top of the adverse event numbers, you have to consider also medical errors – mistakes that are made in treating you.  So, he posted, “We’re running a much higher risk of harm.”

I passed …

For those following my story closely, you may recall that my sister Deana has three adorable children, Andrew (12), Clare (8), and Gregory (2).    I love these children as if they were my own, as I do not have any of my own…by choice.

I confess I have never wanted children and really cannot pinpoint the initial time and reason I came to this conclusion.  I often say that it is because my mother was (and remains) one of the most self-sacrificing parents imaginable and I could never see myself being successful …

I returned home from my stem cell transplant late last month.  At first, my progress was uneven and a bit frustrating.  I would feel a bit better one day, only to backslide and lose ground the next.

But my third week home has been better.  My energy levels are rising, my unsettled stomach is improving, and I am able to perform more than one physical task without rest.

My wife has been taking an extra day off work each week to help do things around the house.  It’s raining today—a perfect day …

During the course of my treatments for multiple myeloma over the last few years, I have run the gambit of FDA-approved drugs.

After my initial induction therapy and stem cell transplant and a period of watchful waiting, I started on Revlimid (lenalidomide) and then added dexamethasone (Decadron).

After slowly relapsing on Revlimid/dexamethasone, I was switched to Velcade (bortezomib).   After five months of Velcade, the response was very good, but I had to stop due to the side effects.  So I went back to Revlimid/dexamethasone for maintenance.

When I again began …

It has been just over one month since doctors took my stem cells off ice and infused three million of them back into my body.

Considering all I had heard and read about how tough the stem cell transplant process is, I think I am doing remarkably well.

Yes, I still tire easily, and I’m battling a number of annoying side effects.  But I am able to write, get out, walk, and shop.  And I’m driving again—all in a short 30 days.

But the process was far from easy.  There was a …

I have a dream.

Better yet, I have dreams – plural. I’m not talking about profoundly inspiring dreams like those of Martin Luther King or amazingly prophetic dreams like Joseph, the son of Jacob, had. Unfortunately, I’m not that deep of a thinker.

Maybe it would be more accurate to say: ‘I have daydreams.’

My daydreams seem to launch themselves at times of boredom, extreme fatigue, or when I need a diversion from a task at hand.

Like when I am in the middle of an MRI, for instance.

About a year …

My last column, A Call to Action, generated more feedback than the previous three. Clearly, I struck some nerves.

It was great to get more information on the work of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and its efforts toward eradicating blood cancers.  I deeply appreciate all the LLS does and in no way meant to disparage the organization. Rather, I’m envious of the LLS’ visibility and want to achieve the same for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and other entities focused on the cancer that has struck my family.  …