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Staying One Step Ahead of Myeloma – and Counting on New Research

By Mary Jane Reilly | June 02, 2016

Myeloma is a beast.  It is a complicated cancer with no cure and, with so many different types, no two patients are the same.  Drugs can put it into remission, but it almost always comes back.  And when it does, it’s a little more aggressive and needs to be attacked in a different way.  

This is knowledge I’ve been living with for four years now and I’m doing everything I can to stay one step ahead of my disease.

Believing there was a cure down the line, I opted for a clinical trial to improve on the standard treatment I was offered. And now that I’ve recently relapsed, I’m pinning my hopes on immunotherapy while planning ahead for a stem cell transplant.

I try to take things day by day, although of course that can be difficult at times. Life is busy, with a husband and three teenagers, working full time in a job that I love, and managing an illness is very time consuming. I am blessed to have an amazing family and friend support system.