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 …

I just turned 39 last month. Thirty-nine is not a nice, round number. A person’s 39th isn’t traditionally considered a “milestone” birthday. You don’t see Hallmark cards or mylar balloons with a giant “39” on the front.

When you’re 39, nobody puts up funny signs with poems on them like they do when you’re 40. You know: “Lordy, lordy, so-and-so is 40.” What would it be for 39? “It’s fine. It’s fine. Karen is 39.”

See? Nobody wants to see a 39 sign in your yard.

You don’t even get to rhyme …

After my husband Daniel’s initial diagnosis with monoclonal gam­mop­a­thy of undetermined significance (MGUS) in 2012, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the “treatment” plan of watching and waiting, which had been suggested by a local hematologist/oncologist, was not enough.

The hematologist/oncologist wasn’t a myeloma specialist, and he wasn’t connected to a research hospital. My mother had ovarian center in the 1990s, and I know what an impact it had on her recovery to have had a re­search hospital involved in her treatment.

I believed that we couldn’t get the care we …

In my last column, I wrote about the decision-making process that led me to move forward with a stem cell transplant. I am now just three weeks away from my stem cell transplant, and I am going to share my pre­par­a­to­ry experiences for this next stage in my battle with multiple myeloma.

But before doing that, I would like to share a personal reflection.

I have found that during all the stages of my battle with myeloma – from an initial diagnosis of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined sig­nif­i­cance (MGUS) that was …

My niece Lizzie is finishing her sophomore year in college. A psychology major, she recently asked me to complete an Adult Development survey for one of her classes. In asking me to take it, she warned, “it has some pretty personal questions (about divorce, diseases, and your opinion on life changes as you age), so I can understand if you do not want to par­tic­i­pate in the interview.”

Of course I said I would take it. With a warning like that, how could I re­sist?

It was an interesting exercise, to say …

In statistics, N refers to the number of subjects in the sample, or the sam­ple size. In a scientific study such as a clinical trial, N is the number of patients en­rolled in each arm of the study. Generally speaking, the larger the N, the stronger the validity of the trial.

From a statistical standpoint, an N of 1 would have no real significance. In fact, we were always taught in medical school that an N of 1 is an anec­dote, not nec­es­sar­i­ly worthy of consideration, and often dismissed.

In real life, …

As Mother’s Day approaches this Sunday here in Canada and many other coun­tries around the world, I wanted to write a column of appreciation to mothers everywhere. It seems that many times motherhood is a lifelong avoca­tion, and that mothers always try to help their chil­dren, even when the children become adults.

Certainly in my case, my mother is still on the scene for her four children (and her grandchildren, too). Even at her age as an octogenarian, she is well able to inspire and encourage her family members.

When I was …