Personal stories of myeloma

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Collage of people of different ages and races from the myeloma community

There is no single myeloma experience

Myeloma touches the lives of tens of thousands of Canadians. Whether you are living with the disease, caring for someone who is, or connected another way, your experience and your story are important. We strive to share stories representing the multitude of experiences myeloma can bring.

There is no single myeloma experience

Myeloma touches the lives of tens of thousands of Canadians. Whether you are living with the disease, caring for someone who is, or are connected another way, your experience and your story are important. We strive to share stories representing the multitude of experiences myeloma can bring.

Filter these stories by topic, or scroll through them chronologically.

Personal stories

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man
Spotlight on Anthony Mohamed

From hospital staff to hospital patient

March, 2023

I walked out to my bike in front of St. Michael’s Hospital, where I had been working since 1995. It was just after 5:00 pm on a lovely Monday evening in late August 2015. I was catching up with a colleague, telling him about how much fun last week’s campi

woman
Spotlight on Tania Bertrand

Live life. Don't just be alive!

February, 2023

It was 2011, I was 42 years old. I had just started kickboxing. A couple of weeks in I had a pain in my back. I thought I had pulled a muscle. Over the next 2 weeks the pain in my back was getting worse. I went to my family doctor who prescribed painkille

woman
Spotlight on Ev McDowell

23 years and counting!

January, 2023

My journey with multiple myeloma began 23 years ago in 2000. I had blood work done when I had my physical two or three months earlier and results came back showing a low hemoglobin with a comment by the lab, “sticky cells.”

man
Spotlight on Steve Bell

Just keep going

December, 2022

I was completely shocked when I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in February of 2019. I was 35 years old.

woman
Spotlight on Elaine Letourneau

Honouring my mom, Lorraine

November, 2022

My mom Lorraine was diagnosed in 2001 with smouldering myeloma (SMM) when she was 68 years old. Of course, we had never heard of multiple myeloma, much less this smouldering business.

man with a cane
Spotlight on Paul Elder

Determined to never stop!

October, 2022

Paul and I have been married for 57 years, and we’ve been living in Wasaga Beach, Ontario since 2004. In May of 2021, while playing with our ‘Covid puppy’ at a local dog park, Paul took an awkward fall when he stepped into a hidden hole. He hit his head

man
Spotlight on Christiane Oana

Devoted to finding a cure

September, 2022

My husband Richard was diagnosed with myeloma in the spring of 2008. He was 54 years old. At the time of his diagnosis, we knew absolutely nothing about myeloma.

woman
Spotlight on Kundan Uppal-Dubinsky

Giving back and being grateful

August, 2022

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at the very end of August of 2016. I was 54 years old but for sure I had been living with it for at least 2 years before.

black woman
Spotlight on Paule Désir

A story of hope and faith

July, 2022

My name is Paule Désir. In April of 2021, at the age of 53, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Fifty three years of a life with its share of ups and downs!

woman
Spotlight on Natalie Kononenko

Introducing myself

June, 2022

I was born in a refugee camp in Germany. They were called DP, or displaced persons camps in those days and that is where my parents ended up when they escaped the Soviet Union during the Second World War.