Multiple Myeloma- Dancing In the Rain with MyelomaTeacher

We all have different personality traits.  Some of us are introverts while others are extroverts. Some of us are carefree while others are more serious. Some of us are nurturers while others graciously receive gifts of help. I would classify myself as a nurturer. I receive joy when helping others. It is in giving that we receive.  I receive so much positive energy from helping others. Helping others re-energizes me.  This summer I traveled to Peru as part of A Fresh Chapter's Peru Odyssey Program .  A Fresh Chapter is a non-profit dedicated to healing the emotional scars of cancer. A Fresh Chapter combines domestic or international volunteerism with programs designed to reframe adversity, foster connections, and promote personal growth and development. A Fresh Chapter's  vision is a world where our experiences with cancer empower us to seek new purpose and possibility in our lives. My volunteer assignment was helping at Martincitos the senior center l...

Can Adversity be a good thing?  Can it be a catalyst for change?  Hell YES!”  (A phrase that has become a part of my vocabulary since I met my dear friend Terri Wingham, founder of A Fresh Chapter, this summer.) Being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, an incurable blood cancer, at age 49 was a devastating event. At the time of my diagnosis I was in disbelief. After reconciling the initial period of denial fear crept in. I was feeling sorry for myself, but I felt devastated for my family who I believed would be without a wife and mother in just a few years. I began preparing for my death by getting my affairs in order, writing letters and planning family vacations to places like Disney and Las Vegas in hopes of making lasting memories. Memories I hoped my family will cherish once I was gone. But as I was preparing for my death I began living.  I was now doing things I always seemed to put off in the past. I was living in the moment and enjoying life. Thanks to adv...