We really want to be someone else’s story of hope.
My husband, Thomas, was diagnosed in February 2022 with blood cancer, specifically, multiple myeloma (MM). He was in the hospital in Mallorca, Spain, where we live, for 16 days, getting dialysis and chemotherapy. After that initial stay, he was discharged but continued to go to the hospital three days a week for four months until his kidneys started working on their own again.
He underwent six months of chemotherapy and immunotherapy as an outpatient. Then, in September 2022, he had an autologous stem cell transplant which was hugely successful. He was declared MRD negative (minimal residual disease) in December 2022 and remains that way to this day.
Our life has changed as it does with a diagnosis of blood cancer. In just a few hours, our entire trajectory changed. Life as we knew it before took a hard right. Neighbors came to the emergency room, held me while waiting for news from the ICU, cooked meals for Thomas while he was in the hospital, took our beloved dog Lola in and loved her hard, and came into our house to stock the fridge and deliver flowers. The community we have in Mallorca has saved us. They were friends before, and now they are family.
While MM is highly treatable, it is also incurable, so Thomas will be dealing with treatment for years to come. But we are in the best place to be taking this on. Thomas is young, fit, and emotionally focused on beating this thing. Our doctors are exceptional. The advances in immunotherapy have been huge, and his access to treatment here on the island has been incredible. At no point have we felt lost, confused, or hopeless. We are strong, and we’re fighting like the ninjas we are.
Melissa
Caregiver
