MEET COLLEEN

"I had never heard of Multiple Myeloma until May 2015, and then suddenly, it became a medical term that changed my life.  Prior to my diagnosis, I was experiencing some bone pain and fatigue and I mentioned this to my family doctor.  I distinctly recall her saying she would run a few tests “to rule out anything sinister.”  Well, I guess a cancer diagnosis is about as sinister as it gets when it comes to health. I spent those first few days reading everything I could about myeloma and one word that always came up and continues to haunt me to this day is the word “incurable”. 

That was nine years ago and I am currently on my third line of treatment.  I had a stem cell transplant in November 2015, and aside from daily maintenance with Revlimid, I could almost forget I was living with myeloma.  By late spring 2019, I began to relapse and started a 3 year run with Daratumumab. This treatment, like the stem cell, had few side effects and was successful until two years ago.

The summer of 2022 consisted of conversations with my oncologist about clinical trials for relapsed patients. In late August, I received news that I was eligible for a trial at LRCP.  Enrollment in a trial involved numerous screenings and introduced me to the research side of LRCP.  I was assigned a researcher to help me navigate the increased demands of participating in a trial.   After 2 relapses, I was grateful for a trial that allowed me to stay in London, close to my medical team and family.  The Walk of Champions took on a new significance for me in 2022. I was, and still am, directly benefiting from the funds raised as all proceeds are dedicated to supporting myeloma research at LRCP. Aside from my family, friends, the myeloma support group and my phenomenal medical team, I am extremely grateful to those of you who are helping change the outcome for patients and remove the word ‘incurable’ from the definition of multiple myeloma."