My name is Pat Killingsworth. I am a brother, a husband and a writer. I am also a multiple myeloma patient.

Over the past few years I have become a big fan of the Myeloma Beacon! The Beacon site is more than a blog – it is a comprehensive online resource for myeloma patients and caregivers.

After some discussion about a number of ways in which I could contribute to the site, the Beacon staff suggested I could write a weekly column about multiple myeloma from a patient's perspective.

I responded: “Yes! …