In last month’s Myeloma Beacon article, I shared how important it has been during my two year fight against multiple myeloma to stay firmly ‘connected’ to my at-large health care team consisting of family, friends, caregivers, physicians, and other medical professionals all acting in concert on my behalf.

The herculean efforts of so many people and organizations to help myeloma patients like me survive this rare cancer have been both humbling and gratifying. Though the campaign moves on slowly, we have witnessed incremental advances in treatment in the last several years. …

An important tenet of my monthly Burgundy Thread column has been to explore the concept that we multiple myeloma patients are inexorably connected to one another through our shared experiences and that by reaching out to one another, we all benefit.

Having battled multiple myeloma for nearly two years, I’ve learned how vital it is for me to intentionally keep myself connected on several fronts as myeloma has come boisterously storming into my life.

In its essence, being connected means that while you absorb the burdens that myeloma callously delivers to your …

“You have multiple myeloma.”

That phrase, delivered by physicians at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science’s (UAMS) in November of 2008, was the first official, irrefutable diagnosis of my cancer career. We suspected that I had myeloma, but there it was. They said it out loud, and it still reverberates in my mind.

While I would have much rather heard, “Tests show that there is a pea underneath your mattress that has been causing your back pain,” I knew that I wasn’t immersed in some grim fairy tale. What was happening …

No doubt, you remember exactly how you found out that you had multiple myeloma. There are as many unique diagnosis stories as there are patients. Below is how I became a full-fledged citizen of what I respectfully call "Myelomaville."

I was counting on the fact that Superman would never lead me astray. Well, not really Superman, but Dr. Christopher Reeves, D.O., one of my local physicians. Imbued with an active imagination, it was a short hop for me to promote Dr. Reeves to the stature of Superman. I promised not to tug …

Hello! My name is Sean Murray. As a myeloma patient marching lockstep alongside you into the daily battle, I am grateful to The Myeloma Beacon for allowing me to share some of my thoughts, experiences, musings, and ‘a-musings’ with you via this new monthly column.

My aim in joining The Myeloma Beacon’s efforts is to offer a patient’s perspective on this extraordinary journey upon which we have embarked.

Perhaps there is something that I have learned along the way that will help you better navigate through this often times dizzying maze of …