Last week, I had the pleasure of taking a quick jaunt from my home in the rural Ozarks of southwest Missouri to the big city of San Francisco.

As an enthusiastic traveler before my diagnosis of multiple myeloma, I had always enjoyed venturing out to far locales by rail, sail, wing, or wandering highway.

Having flown several times since my furious tango with myeloma began in November of 2008, I know well the importance of heeding my doctor’s (and my wife’s) admonition to be ‘extra careful’ during the excursions.

The outbound portion …

Since my sister Deana was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in April 2011, participating on charity teams to raise awareness and money for research has become an important activity for me.  Two weeks ago, as Hurricane Sandy was making news, I was en route to Washington, D.C., to participate in my second charity marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon.

While not a Marine, I am moved by their motto, “Semper Fi” – always faithful. Until my sister is cured, I will remain steadfastly faithful to the myeloma cause.

It is true that a runner …

An international piano competition, which is held here in Calgary every three years and is near and dear to my heart, took place again at the end of last month. 

As in 2009, I had the chance to attend some of the concerts. My state of mind, however, was much better this time around.

In 2009, I was starting induction chemotherapy and was in a very worried state of mind.  My husband Dilip and I had volunteered with this event since 1992.  We had hosted a young competitor from Shanghai in March …

I am happy that I have entered a relatively quiet period in my recovery from my allogeneic (donor) stem cell transplant and that things seem to be going well.  I am returning to something closer to a normal life, whatever that is anymore, and my mind has turned to other musings.

So, I thought I would write about something other than multiple myeloma and stem cell transplants, which brings me to the Lance Armstrong story.

As an avid cyclist, weekend warrior, and cancer patient, I have been fascinated by the Lance story …

Earlier this week, I was talking with three other long-lived multiple myeloma survivors who are all in remission.  The fascinating part was that all four of us got there in different ways.

One had undergone a successful allogeneic (donor) stem cell transplant.  He hasn’t been on maintenance for years.

The second was just finishing the arduous, four-year Total Therapy treatment regimen at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).  He plans not to use maintenance therapy.

The third started treatment at Mayo Clinic for kidney failure, but then went on to …

There’s been a fair amount of discussion lately in the columns and comment boards here at The Myeloma Beacon about stem cell transplants, as well as their effectiveness and their impact on our bodies.

Myeloma patients who have yet to have a transplant often scour the Internet looking for help and information about what they may face.  For many, stem cell transplantation is not an “if,” but more a matter of when.

The pre-transplant period brings for most people uncertainty, anticipation, and some trepidation.

Trying to understand the impacts that stem cell …

A few weeks ago, I underwent an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of my spine. This procedure is not unusual for multiple myeloma patients. The MRI generates images of bones and organs and can be used to determine the presence and status of cancerous lesions in myeloma patients’ bones.

After my autologous stem cell transplant in March, I had developed painful carpal tunnel syndrome in my hands and wrists. My hematologist ordered an MRI to rule out spinal cord lesions as a possible cause.

Because I had undergone a couple of MRIs in …