"You Have Cancer"

I never thought I'd ever hear the works "You have cancer." Let alone while 28 weeks pregnant. Back on August 19, 2015, I heard those words. Along with "It's malignant and it's Multiple Myeloma." Not in that order, but those are the words I can remember from that day. From my first ever appointment with my oncologist.

My first reaction was sadness. Knowing very little about this kind of cancer, I was scared. Scared because all I knew was that there is no cure, only treatment and some only live 3-5 years with this type. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to be there for my unborn baby boy. That I'd only get a few short years with him. I felt anger for the same reasons. And also asked "Why me? Why now?" Why ever? Why must there be cancer at all. Since then, my attitude has changed. Really, about a month after the diagnosis. Now, all I think about doing is fighting, and that is exactly what I am doing. Fighting. I WILL be a survivor!

A month after the birth of my son, I started my chemotherapy treatments. When I started on November 11, 2015 my numbers were at 5000. After one month of weekly chemo treatments, my numbers dropped to 500. Yes, that is good. Really good. I was responding well to the treatments. Now, today, my numbers at 15 and have been ranging anywhere from 8 to 16 for the last month or so. Still, really good. Now, I am set for my Autologous Stem Cell Transplant on June 6, 2016.

Through this blog I am starting, I want to inform and educate people about Multiple Myeloma. Also abbreviated to MM. I also want to document my process of going through my transplant. My thoughts. My fears. My aches. My pains. My everyday feelings from the beginning to the end of my transplant period. I will be staying at/around Stanford for a month. Then, the rest of the 100 day period I will get to come home. The good thing about this that I was fearing, is that I will be able to be around my baby boy. I had several people telling me I wouldn't be able to see him or be around him. Which I could understand, but 100 days is WAY too long to be away. Especially when I can barely handle just a few hours away from him. This blog will document our everyday lives through my fight against MM and through my transplant.

So, for now, I leave you with this...

I'm Not Superwoman, But I'm Fighting Multiple Myeloma. So Close Enough.

As seen on a shirt I found on Pinterest.