Feb. 4, 2021, was a tough day. Until then, I thought of myself as a healthy, active, athletic person. I'd been an oncology nurse, an employment lawyer and now an executive coach and leadership consultant. With my partner of 30-plus years, I had raised two children. I was riding horses, hiking and practicing yoga. Sure, I had pain, plenty of it, and so much fatigue, but I assumed these symptoms were related to my activities, an aging body and the stress of the COVID pandemic. Cancer never crossed my mind.

On Feb. 3, a visit to a chiropractor changed all that. He took some x-rays and told me to come back in a few days for an adjustment. But the next day he called to say he saw odd lesions on my x-rays. "Have you ever heard of multiple myeloma," he asked. As a former oncology nurse, I knew more than I cared to about the disease. Back in the '80s, multiple myeloma, the second most common blood cancer, was a death sentence. Everything stopped. Time stood still. In the blink of an eye, my reality, my life, turned upside down.

The 15 months that followed were defined by treatments and disappointments. I changed my diet, doubled down on yoga, hired a personal trainer, took supplements. I stayed as active as I could. But none of the treatments were killing enough myeloma cells to qualify me for a stem cell transplant – my best chance to achieve remission. Finally, in April 2022, I was admitted to the University of California, San Francisco hospital for high-dose cytoxan. It was tough. I lost my hair and was flattened by fatigue, but it worked. Enough myeloma cells were killed off to allow me to proceed with the transplant. I was admitted for transplant on May 18, 2022.

After 16 days, I was discharged with a new immune system. Again, it was not easy, but I got through it. It didn't get me to remission, but it beat back the myeloma. By September, I was feeling better than I had in a long time.

I've been on maintenance therapy since September 2022. I'm feeling good, strong even, but I know the disease is still hiding in my bone marrow. The sad truth is, is that multiple myeloma is not curable. So, for now, I am doing my very best to live life to the fullest – staying active, working and spending time with family and friends. All things considered, I am living well, but it's a hard disease to ignore. I sure would like to live long enough to see a cure.

I'm heading on the Alaska trek to hike the majestic mountains around Anchorage with a team of myeloma patients, doctors, nurses, caregivers, friends, researchers and pharmaceutical industry leaders to help the MMRF, the leading cancer research organization focused on multiple myeloma, raise funds to accelerate the development of new therapies, drive optimal and more personalized treatment approaches and empower every patient.

To donate, visit: https://give.themmrf.org/fundraiser/4345471