Multiple Myeloma is a cancerous disease that forms in the white blood cells, also known as plasma cells, that are located in our bone marrow. This disease can cause serious damage to a person’s bones, immune system, kidneys, and red blood cell counts just to name a few things. This cancer occurs when a plasma cell becomes cancerous and multiplies continuously. Healthy plasma cells create a special protein, known as antibodies, that helps fight off infections. Once a healthy plasma becomes cancerous though the protein they create does not work right, it does not fight off infections which allows the cancer to grow into Multiple Myeloma.
The disease Multiple Myeloma has been known about for a very long time but the first well documented case did not appear until 1844 and it was reported by a man named Samuel Solly. Although the a more commonly known case is that of Thomas Alexander McBean who was a highly respectable tradesman from London in 1850. “McBean excreted a large amount of protein.” described Henry Bence Jones who was a well known physician in the 19th century. Over the years more cases have appeared and more treatments were created to help fight the cancerous disease, some more helpful than others.
Some treatments include using medications like Chemotherapy, Steroids, Bone-Modifying Drugs. Others treatments are Bone Marrow transplants or Stem Cell transplants, Radiation Therapy, or Surgery. I have personally seen these treatments in the works. My dad has Multiple Myeloma and was admitted to the hospital in 2020, the cancer was located in his spine and ate away at the bone there, which happened to be the T-12 vertebrae and completely crushed it. My dad had to have a Stem Cell transplant and was lucky enough to be able to use his own cells. A weird effect this transplant can cause is that it can cause the patient to either smell like corn juice or tomato juice.
Having Multiple Myeloma can multiple effects on a person whether it be physically, socially, financially or emotionally, it can leave scars on a person. This disease can effect both the patient and the person or persons who are helping take care of the patient. Getting treatment for Multiple Myeloma is not cheap, nor are the medications prescribed to the patient or the stay in the hospital. For my dad, he is lucky that he has such amazing insurance because if he didn’t we would be thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt right now. The treatments for the cancer can be very stressful on the patients body and can cause long term effects. I remember when my dad was in the hospital and having his Stem Cell transplant he was sleeping basically 24/7, he could hardly keep any food down and he was just so tired all the time. During this time I was a senior in High School and I was quarantined all of my senior year and had to do online classes for it all. I remember not being able to focus on school at all, barely able to do my assignments or anything, all I could focus on was my dad. This disease caused everyone around us to be stressed and worried for my dad, I kid you not my memories of this entire ordeal is blurry, I basically blocked this experience out of my mind because it was so scarring to me. My dad has screws and rods in his back because of the surgery, he has back pain now and again and he is on chemo for the rest of his life. All in all this disease is detrimental to both the patient and to the people taking care of the patient. (https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/multiple-myeloma/types-treatment)
Some news articles I found that talk about Multiple Myeloma.
- https://www.mskcc.org/news/multiple-myeloma-improved-prognosis-latest-treatments
- https://www.nature.com/subjects/myeloma
- https://www.lls.org/news/fda-approves-two-new-treatments-heavily-pretreated-multiple-myeloma