Multiple Myeloma

Myeloma is rare enough for many not to have heard of it. I hadn’t. It is a terminal disease with life expectancy after diagnosis of around five years. If treated properly, patients can live relatively normal, relatively pain free lives. As I mentioned before, diet and exercise are key, and so if you take an integrated approach to managing your cancer, you can live well beyond the average.

As with any cancer management, mental health is very much a component of the treatment. Grief and fear hit you in the face all at once, and it can be difficult to function or think clearly for weeks, even months. For the first couple of weeks, I lay in bed and cried myself to sleep. Then one day I started focussing on acceptance. Once I had established that, everything became much easier. I could begin thinking about rebuilding my body, looking beyond my bedridden state, and defying the average.

The internet and Web 3 allows us to educate others for free, and globally. I’ve recorded a number of short films myself, where I talk about a particular crisis, and how I find peace and balance. Using Discord, for example, as a platform to provide a qualified group of people a number of support services, including patient experiences by cancer type, is something I’m looking forward to working on in the weeks ahead.