Mathura | Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
I went out to ring in 2023 on New Year’s Eve telling everyone it would be MY year, a time to celebrate new projects and dreams I had been conjuring. A simpler life. Days later, I developed pneumonia, bronchitis, severe muscle pain, and then heart failure from all of it. In March, an x-ray that was supposed to look at my chest for heart failure instead showed lesions and holes from my pelvis to my rib cage, a sign of advanced multiple myeloma (MM) which was confirmed weeks later. I had no idea what it was or what it meant, but luckily, I had friends who were fighting cancer who helped comfort and lead me to better answers than Google. I read through The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) website, and a friend helped me get a smart, reassuring second opinion with UCLA with the help of LLS. I’ve had a round of radiation and am on my fifth cycle of chemotherapy. Navigating the appointments, records, insurance, disability, and financial sides of having cancer is something no one is prepared