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MULTIPLE MYELOMA AND ITS JOURNEY INTO MY LIFE, TOM HOLM-HANSEN
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The Diagnosis
My doctor called me at work on September 19, 2001, telling me that my monoclonal blood proteins were high and iron was low, indicating multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. It starts in the bone marrow and causes bone lesions. I needed to get to a hematologist quickly and get going on more tests and begin chemotherapy. On October 15, 2001, I began a chemotherapy regimen of the drugs VMCP/VBAP. This regimen consists of 6-week cycles divided into two 3-week parts. Stem cell therapy may follow over the next several months.
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The Setting
I am now living in the place that I love, the beautiful, soggy Pacific Northwest, just north of Seattle. Perfect for ferry riding, watching the water, and sea kayaking. Donna, Kristen, Ian, and I live in a comfortable house about two miles from the waterfront. We left our friends and enchanting pond-front house in Aiken, South Carolina in January of 2001. Donna and I have returned to the place where we met and fell in love.
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CLICK HERE FOR MY CURRENT HEALTH STATUS:
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The Journey
It was a hot, dusty September day in 1998 in Aiken, South Carolina and I was running with the St. Mary’s Help of Christians cross-country team. I developed a stitch in my left side that did not go away. It appeared to be a relatively small nuisance at the time, and I ignored it. Several months later, as the pressures of life increased, the pain also increased. By early 1999, the pain was unbearable and I took a leave of absence from work. The diagnosis was myofascial pain syndrome.
I immersed myself in relaxation techniques, aquatic exercises, bicycling, hiking, and easy kayaking. My muscles flowed, my brain relaxed and let go, and the pain slowly began to ease. Slowly, but surely, I begin to run again. During the summer of 1999, I loved being back on the water and paddling the Atlantic Ocean at the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Portsmouth Island. By early 2000, I was paddling 15 miles per day without any problems, and I easily ran 10 miles without stopping. I felt whole again.
During late 2000 the pain and stiffness returned. I could no longer run for a mile or two without stopping. My lung capacity was diminished. It was harder to sleep. After returning from a trip to New England in March 2001, I felt totally fatigued, and could no longer run more than a few hundred meters without stopping. So, I began morning walks for up to one hour. Over the next several months the fatigue kept getting worse, and I began losing weight. First 10 pounds, then 20, then 30. . . . The blood tests were ordered in September.
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My Blessings
Despite my recent diagnosis and its relatively advanced state, I feel blessed. I am a cancer survivor.
· The love, support, and prayers of family and friends is keeping me strong through this. Their words, their deeds, their cards, their letters, their e-mails, their food packages, and their books connect me to all of them throughout the world. Donna, Kristen, and Ian keep me laughing and do not let me take myself too seriously.
· Cancer has brought me a stronger connection to God. I pray every day. I meditate, and I feel an inner peace that has been so elusive.
· Nature and all its beauty surrounds me. I walk mindfully in my quiet neighborhood, in the nearby parks, and at the waterfront. I observe the tall cedars and ornamental maples. I feel the soft pine needles underfoot. I inhale the smell of the musty earth after a light rain. I hear the gently lapping waves and I see the green forests across the Sound. It all feels like home.
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CONTACTS AND LINKS
e-mail me: hansenholm@aol.com
Pacific Northwest Multiple Myeloma Fighters, Tom Blakney: tomblakney@macconnect.com
International Myeloma Foundation: http://myeloma.org
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation: http://www.multiplemyeloma.org
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Last Update: November 26, 2001
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