Thank you for your support

I am sitting in my backyard, enjoying the sunshine and a cool, beautiful breeze. I have been swimming in the pool and floating in my chair reading most of the afternoon. It is a wonderful world. :)

I realize at times like this just how lucky I am. I have a loving husband of almost 30 years, 2 self-sufficient, wonderful kids, and a plethora of family (parents, siblings, in-laws, cousins) and friends who are there for me whenever I need them. Some people battling serious health issues don't have that support. :(

I wonder sometimes how the elderly and the alone cope with a diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma. Most MM patients are in their 70's and 80's. It is often found after their bones have been ravaged by the disease and breaks occur. They are too old for some of the treatment options -- like Stem Cell Transplant. The chemotherapy and other MM fighting drugs have debilitating side-effects and can be very expensive. There are bouts of depression and helplessness. If they have no-one to help them through all of this, it must really be hell.

In addition, the one key weapon in a MM patient's arsenal is Knowledge! Doctors and MM support websites will tell you that those who are well-versed in what their disease means, and the treatments available to them now, and coming in the future, will live longer than those who chose to put their heads in the sand and just let what happens happen. You have to know what changes to be aware of in your body. New aches and pains, increased fatigue, or new symptoms may mean that you need your medications re-evaluated, or that your disease has awoken or has started to create new lesions. You have to know what treatments are being tested and how those trials are going so that you can sustain HOPE for a cure. If you don't have access to this knowledge, you are at such a disadvantage!

If you know someone who is ill and doesn't seem to have support for all of these things, please help them to find it. There are so many support agencies for cancer patients. They can help in so many ways.  (Refer to my May 17th blog posting on Wellspring Niagara.)

I get so much support from the internet (legit sites) and others' blogs, Facebook, writing my blog and getting e-mails about them, Wellpring Niagara services, visits from friends and family, cards, gifts, food, and Love...so much Love!! I am so very fortunate to have all of this in my life. Thank you - all of you...for being there for me and for reading my blog. I feel your love!! You truly do make a difference! XO

(I know it has been difficult to leave a message for me here. In the past, if you were not a Google+ subscriber you could not comment. I tried to adjust it so that anyone can comment but it is still not working.
You can always email me at lcampbell103@cogeco.ca)