Riding The Wave – Multiple Myeloma

All is well, no worries… Sarah chided me (rightly so) for using a sensational headline! Sorry. It’s just we never really are too far from “Myelomaville” and I have been ‘away’ doing other fun and meaningful things in my life of late… a good thing. Thus, ‘Back to Myelomaville’ to check in and write…

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman

Whew! What busy time I have had lately and it’s still busy. Life as I knew it, is coming in full force. Where once I may have felt overwhelmed, now it’s a feeling of being blessed and grateful. I’m still reeling a bit from Saturday’s dedication to my fellow classmates and their families. It was like a big, giant, GROUP HUG, long in the making. There is still more to do on that, and I am hoping that I can offer my small talents toward that worthy endeavor. It feels good.

I have managed to keep up with the news from the IMF conference in Paris on Myeloma, though full details from The Beacon I’m sure will be coming more fully once they are back home and are able to write more fully about all that transpired. My general sense is that there is great excitement with some of the research breakthroughs, new drugs, new form of drug delivery, etc. There is still ongoing debate about Revlimid and secondary cancers, but it is clearer now, that maintenance therapy theories are showing some fruitful promise. But like many things with Myeloma and other medical research, waiting for patients to live longer is needed to make a definitive medical claim. “Waiting for patients to live longer.” The idea that they believe we can and will live longer! SWEET!  It seems to me that every time I turn around I’m reading a comment of someone who has been living with Myeloma for over 10 years. I’m so glad they are chiming in here and there. And if you are one, please understand, we are happy you are living your life, but you give those of us newly on this journey such inspiration and hope. Please keep chiming in once in a while!

Our APN, Nadine, went to Paris and did a presentation. UAMS is always a big force to be reckoned with at these conferences. And despite the years of detractors – physicians and researchers read every word, every paper, every snippet that comes out of Little Rock. I’m proud of all that they continue to do, with a laser like focus on Multiple Myeloma.

David is exploding with energy and busy-ness at his job. His technical project, changing the TV watching paradigm, has been given the go ahead from the top and now millions will be expended and I expect I won’t be seeing much of him this year, except while on our cruise, which I’m sure he will try to weasel out of! haha He jogs up the stairs at home, he chides me if I’m resting, he’s doing yard work when he can squeeze it in, with a vengeance. He is happy.

So while I have a few topics to write about in my queue, I haven’t had a chance to move them forward and will soon as I come back to earth a bit.

Seeing many of my classmates Saturday, I was reminded that there is tragedy and loss for all who walk this earth. In that way, we are not unique in our own suffering. It is good to be reminded of that from time to time when we feel like wallowing a bit. How we process it, grieve, live, and move forward is what is often the difference. I was lucky. I had my grandparents, Otis and Ruth Hudson, who in the grieving of losing their son, my father, they worked very hard to help me with my own grief early on in life. They set the bar high, gently and gradiently, and while I know they didn’t think they were doing it all right, they were pretty much perfect in my book. Striking the balance of talking about him, keeping his memory and life alive, not building a shrine, moving forward, not forgetting, not being defined by their loss. Yet, acknowledging it was a pivotal turning point in all our lives. Their ability to openly and honestly honor him in an amazingly healthy way was to my benefit. Saturday was a stark reminder to me of how damn lucky I was, and am, to have had them in my life, helping me to negotiate these difficult and often overwhelming life tragedies. I always knew they were way ahead of their time and realized it even more on Saturday. Their example have continued to serve me well through my life and all it’s twists and turns. They did not wait for the storm to pass, but found ways to dance in the rain, and taught me how to find that balance in my own life.

Thank you Namo & Granddaddy! Love you dearly!

Photo from the Farm

Tags: IMF, Little Rock, The Myeloma Beacon, UAMS