Just as I had settled down to get some inspiration for this month’s column, my young daughter breezed into my office to share this juicy information about her older sister:

“Daddy, Katie said the F-word!”

I was shocked to even hear Lizzie say ‘F-word.’ Taken by surprise, I sprayed a mouthful of my morning coffee and blurted out, “She did not!”

Before I could stop her, young Lizzie, with a twinkle in her eye, trumpeted, “Katie called a lady fat!”

Oh, that F-word, I thought as I breathed a sigh of relief. …

For one day each week, my children have a special nickname for me. It’s Tyrannosaurus Dex!

I suppose that it is fitting that a wise-guy has wise-guy children!  Here’s how I earned this tongue-in-cheek moniker.

Like many multiple myeloma patients, I have a love / hate relationship with the potent corticosteroid, dexamethasone (Decadron), also called dex for short. I love that dex offers positive health benefits to many of us facing a diagnosis of myeloma. Conversely, I hate that dex is also known to cause a wide array of side effects …

It was one heck of a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in the Ozarks back in the spring of 2009. In fact, it was the kind of picture-post-card day that you like to file away in your memory.

But what I had no way of knowing was that a would-be killer, lurking nearby, was ready to ruin my perfectly good day by striking out at me when I least expected it.

Having been out of state for four months of aggressive treatment for multiple myeloma, I was thrilled to be back home for a …

I have had the honor of visiting with several cancer survivor and patient groups (mostly multiple myeloma-focused groups) since my treatment for myeloma began in December of 2008. Though the groups have been created for rather sobering reasons, I have found them to be warm and inviting and sources of valuable information.

While I am always happy to recount my own ongoing myeloma experiences, one of my very favorite aspects of these get-togethers is to hear the vastly unique stories that come from the group’s members. Their personal insights have provided me …

Tuesday, February 28, started out like most any other day for me, but little did I know that it was destined to be one for the memory books.

After nearly ten months of aggressive treatment for multiple myeloma in Arkansas and twenty-seven months of weekly maintenance chemo­therapy back home in the Ozarks of southwest Missouri, I had learned, despite my ongoing health issues, to tackle each day with as much gusto as I could muster.

As was the custom, I woke up early to see my wife and kids off to school …

Just this week, an acquaintance of mine passed away due to complications from his long-running battle against multiple myeloma.  He was treated at the same out-of-state myeloma clinic at which I was treated. We occasionally ran into each other at the local cancer center where we both received maintenance chemotherapy.

He was fifteen years my senior and had a lot of medical problems aside from myeloma. Ultimately his kidneys were destroyed, he was on dialysis, his heart was diseased, and he had trouble getting around most days. While his condition dictated that …

Happy New Year!

From the cozy warmth and comfort of our family room in the Midwest, my wife, daughters, and I vicariously celebrated the arrival of 2012 with no less than Dick Clark, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and a million or so hale-and-hearty occupiers of New York City’s iconic Times Square.

While the nearly six ton Waterford Crystal Ball majestically dropped 77 feet during the final minute of 2011, the girls and I joined the choir of unison voices for the raucous countdown: 3-2-1! Happy New Year!

Time worked its magic. One …