![](\"https:\/\/blogs.oncolink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0452-rotated.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThat was Michael\u2019s introduction to multiple myeloma. Just a few days earlier, he had taken a trip down the shore with his family. While body surfing, he got pummeled by a wave. It had happened before; he didn\u2019t think much of it. But the pain in his neck persisted. He rested. He took over-the-counter pain medications. Nothing worked. He finally called his doctor and was sent for an x-ray.<\/p>\n
After that, the medical workup was a whirlwind. He was first seen at his local hospital and then transferred to Penn (a large academic center). There was lots of testing\u2014MRI, blood work, CT scans. The possibility that this was cancer never crossed his mind.<\/p>\n
Then the neurosurgeon walked in and said, \u201cwe think you have Myeloma.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael and his wife, Monique, had never heard of Myeloma. They were given some educational materials by the team. \u201cWe both read the same line at the same time\u2026life expectancy less than five years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Only then did Michael realize this was cancer. This was big.<\/p>\n
Fast forward ten years. Michael is alive and thriving with<\/em><\/strong> Myeloma. He had a stem cell transplant in December of 2011. He is in \u201cactive observation.\u201d<\/p>\n Life has changed in so many ways for Michael since that summer day in 2011. \u201cEven though cancer sucks, it has opened a whole different world. We\u2019ve met some incredible people along the way we never would have met without cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael also got involved with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He and his family have raised over $225,000 in the past ten years through their annual Light the Night Walks and Man Of the Year campaigns. He volunteers regularly with the LLS, giving mission speeches at board meetings and linking other patients with LLS services. He has become a passionate advocate for cancer care and research through his advocacy. He just won the National Advocacy Ambassador Award for his persistent and compassionate advocacy work on behalf of blood cancer patients. Without his myeloma diagnosis, he never would have done any of this.<\/p>\n Several years ago, due to a new lesion in his spine, Michael had to stop working. His new part-time job is managing his symptoms and his long-term, chronic diagnosis. \u201cNot a day goes by without cancer being part of my life.\u201d He knows he can and will live with myeloma for years. He knows it may come back. But Michael prides himself on living differently with cancer. His perspective has changed. \u201cLife is different. I fill my days doing volunteer work, swimming, cooking dinner, and being a house dad.\u201d These new roles only surfaced as a result of being diagnosed with myeloma.<\/p>\n Besides the LLS, Michael is one of ten myeloma survivors in America who is a Multiple Myeloma Journey Partner. This program provides outreach and education all over the country. These programs offer a \u201cfree, one-hour, educational program that gives people with multiple myeloma and their caregivers an opportunity to hear a trained Journey Partner share his or her personal experience of living with multiple myeloma and having an autologous stem cell transplant\u2026[as well as] about helpful resources and the importance of considering a transplant evaluation.\u201d Michael is honored to be part of this program. \u201cI get to teach and talk to people about myeloma. If my one-hour speech helps one person\u2026I\u2019ve made a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael also recently has broadened his outreach with Myeloma Crowd by HealthTree<\/a>. He is now a certified Myeloma coach<\/a>, helping myeloma patients understand everything there is about their myeloma from a patient\u2019s perspective, including blood tests, side effects, financial information, coping, mental health, and much more. Coaching is a no-cost immersive sharing of information between patients for about 6 months or as long as the coachee needs. You can learn more here<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThank God I went to the beach that day\u2026it probably saved my life.\u201d Not only did it save his life, but it also changed it. Taking action, being active, and making meaning are important parts of coping with a cancer diagnosis. Michael and his family embody the meaning of Multiple Myeloma Action Month. Hats off to them for their dedication and passion toward a cause they had never even heard of ten years ago.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/blogs.oncolink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2549-768x1024.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n