When I stopped working due to my multiple myeloma, my biggest concern was how I was going to maintain my health insurance.

Through a deal I negotiated with my partners, I was able to stay on our group health plan for a while.  When my former group merged with a larger group, this option was no longer available.  Since the group plan was being dissolved, COBRA insurance was also not available.

After much anxiety and research, I discovered that since coverage was continuous and COBRA insurance was not available, I was eligible …

If you watch or run in a marathon, which covers 26 miles (42 km), you may see some runners holding signs that have a finishing time posted on them.  For example, the signs may say ‘2:30,’ ‘3:00,’ or ‘5:00.’ There may be a sign for every 15 minutes of completion time. 

The runners holding these signs are on track to finish in the time displayed on the sign. They are known as ‘pace bunnies.’  Sometimes they even wear rabbit ears on their hats for easier recognition.  These race volunteers keep the …

“So, how much time are they giving you?” an old friend from college asked me with great concern in his voice.

We had lost touch for several years, and he had only recently learned of my ongoing battle with multiple myeloma.

Ah, the classic ‘how much time?’ question.

I replied. “My doctors have assured me, with a great deal of certainty, that I will have no more than (dramatic pause)... no more than twenty-four hours a day to live my life. Only twenty-four hours a day! Why me?”

“Oh, man, I’m so …

The end of the year provides a great time for review and reflection.

2012 has been a momentous one for me in my journey with myeloma. It included both difficult and awe-inspiring moments.

I went off chemotherapy in February in preparation for a stem cell transplant. I have not been back on it since then. No more exciting steroid “highs” - but no more steroid rages either!

In early March, I underwent a stem cell transplant. I lost my remaining hair. I recently stumbled across a draft email I had …

In the western world where I live, the long dark nights of December bring the light and festivities of the close of our calendar year. People honor and celebrate in many ways and meanings. It is as if we are all aboard a train that is traveling through this territory, whether we like it or not.

Despite the particular problems facing the nation or the world - and despite our personal faith or lack of it - a call for cheer falls upon us all. People at various stages of living with …

As I approach the end of my induction therapy and the clinical trial I've been on, I find myself reflecting on the past two years since I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

One of the consequences of the diagnosis that I've come to recognize – and which I most likely will have to accept even more in the future – is how humbling dealing with cancer can be.

Sure, there are the little things, like figuring out how to manage a 24-hour urine collection that includes a full day at work, or having to …

This month, I’m writing about a topic that is close to my heart: volunteering.

I started volunteering at the local playschool when my children were pre-schoolers and continued on all through their schooling. 

I learned a lot about ‘not for profit’ organizations through the years as I got involved with other groups.  Back in the ‘90s, we were still using ‘land line’ phones mostly, and being a ‘volunteer coordinator’ involved doing a lot of phoning and leaving a lot of voice mails.  Now it is so much easier and more efficient to …