As I first began the several rounds of chemotherapy for multiple myeloma back in December of 2008, I decided to help combat the effects of chemo brain by working on word and number puzzles and by scribbling my thoughts down into a journal.

Did it work? I don’t know, but it helped to keep my mind occupied and away from the encroaching sadness of fighting cancer far away from my home and my kids as the holidays approached.

One of the exercises that I enjoyed most was writing short forms of Japanese …

As we draw nearer to Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking about how mye­loma patients will spend the holi­day. I suspect that many of you will be with family and friends, and some of you may have some bedside cele­bra­tions with your hospital staff.

Now that myeloma has entered your world, I wonder if you see the holi­days in a new light – illuminating less of what’s on the table, and more of who’s sitting at it.

I know it has for me, but I hadn’t realized how much so until I finished the …

In August I wrote a column titled "Reflections." In that column, I dealt with the question of what the worst part about having multiple myeloma was.

Personally and professionally, I am now going through a far more reflective stage in my life than I was then.

In six weeks, I will retire from my position as a school superintendent. After 37 and a half years in education, there are plenty of memories to reflect on. Because of the fact that multiple myeloma has such a huge impact on my life, reflecting …

Earlier this month, I held my third cancer party.

I threw my first cancer party when I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma 11 years ago. It was a big party. A really big party. It went on for hours, everyone brought food and drinks, and people were packed against the walls of my apartment.

What a great night.

Almost three years ago, when I relapsed and started Velcade (bortezomib), I threw another cancer party. I had lost physical ground over the years, I wasn’t happy about the Velcade, and it …

Sometimes I wish I could just forget about myeloma and put it in the past as a difficult chapter in my life.

I was pretty close to forgetting about it during the three and a half years when I was in remission and did not need any treatment.

That period ended a year ago when I relapsed and started treatment again with a daily dose of 25 mg of Revlimid (lenalidomide) and a weekly dose of 20 mg of dexamethasone (Decadron).

Even though I think that I am on …

After my myeloma diagnosis in early March 2006, I received induction therapy with thalido­mide (Thalomid) and dexa­metha­sone (Decadron), which lasted for eight months. At the time, this treat­ment regimen had just been approved for newly diag­nosed myeloma patients. As I’m sure you all know, the regimen is now essentially obsolete, which is a good measure of the recent progress in myeloma treat­ment!

After diagnosis, I took a term of sick leave from my university, and spent virtually my whole time at home. The first six weeks were spent basically rest­ing. …

A few months ago, a reader named Ginny D asked a question in response to one of my columns. She rhetorically asked “Why is cancer so hard? Not only for patients, but for caregivers, friends, and family? Why, for example, does it seem harder than heart disease or other life-threatening illnesses?”

I think it’s a great question.

I’m sure that almost everybody has had to go through the gut-wrenching ex­peri­ence of having someone (either themselves or a loved one) be diagnosed with cancer. Ouch! That seemed like the worst possible news. …