I’m a big fan of New Year’s resolutions.  Sure, most of us never really give them a shot; often they’re broken before the ink is dry.  But what have we got to lose?

I have trouble planning for more than a year or two anyway.  I’m a realist and don’t want to tempt fate.  But one year at a time?  Perfect!

Like many of you, 2013 wasn’t my best year.  Although my hip replacement went off without a hitch, I relapsed again last fall.  But one thing to remember about multiple myeloma: …

Fellow myeloma patients: Is it ever possible to “forget” your disease?

If you’re having painful symptoms or side effects, or if treatment has turned your normal life upside down, I know the answer is a big, re­sound­ing "No." Myeloma is there every second of the day. But what about the times myeloma is smol­der­ing, in remission, or stabilized by drugs? Dur­ing these times, your every­day life is mostly “normal,” but can you ever really forget?

I usually can’t. Then, this past Christmas season, I suddenly quit thinking about it for big chunks …

The winter solstice occurred this past Saturday.   The temperature rose to the high 60’s (close to 20 Celsius) in Manhattan.  The warm weather melted the ice in Central Park’s ponds and the layer of snow that had blanketed the grass and the paths the previous weekend.

I was sorry to see the snow and ice disappear.   After the snow had first fallen, there were still mallards, geese, and brants swimming on the 106 acre Jacqueline Onassis Reservoir in Central Park.  The reservoir, which is 40 feet deep, had not yet frozen.  However …

Sometimes multiple myeloma makes you do strange things.

With a yellow No. 2 pencil and a tablet of Big Chief paper in hand, I began sketching this December’s Myeloma Beacon column while sitting on my covered back porch overlooking a bit of the frosty Ozark woods.

Despite the 30 °F chill and a biting northerly breeze, I was nonetheless comfortable and quite content.

After all, I was within arm’s reach of a mug of steaming hot cocoa laced with cinnamon and a marshmallow. Okay, six marshmallows – but don’t tell my wife. …

I had to do a lot of driving earlier this month. I had four days of mediation training packaged in two-day blocks with a weekend in between. That took me up to northwest Ohio and back twice in a short period of time. To keep myself company, I turned on the car radio and let it serenade me down the road.

It’s the holiday season and the airwaves are saturated with Christmas music. The sacred songs, the secular songs, and the gimmicky songs play in an ever flowing, unstoppable stream.

One often …

How are you?

Ah, one of the simplest questions in the world.  A common part of civilized speech, asked dozens of times a day.  It’s thrown around everywhere.

A quick reply of “Fine, and you?” and move on with your world.

As a cancer patient, I have become increasingly perplexed with this question and how best to answer it.  I am certain that we all face the same dilemma.

It is, of course, a loaded question, and the real answer is not simple.  It can be handled many ways.

Before formulating my …

Earlier this year, I realized that I might need some emotional help.  No matter how determined I am to stay hopeful and positive, living with multiple myeloma and being surrounded by my fellow myeloma patients, some of whom are seriously ill, can take its toll.

Many Americans are reluctant to seek professional help.  Working with a psychologist or psychiatrist is often stigmatized, and mental health is often misunderstood.

Neither of these was a problem for me.  My master’s degree in education included training as an alcohol and drug abuse counselor.  One reason …