Story

Michelle's story began in her mid-30s when she started to experience back and hip pain, at 42, she started experiencing extreme fatigue, infections, and worsening pain. Despite frequent doctor visits, she was only given antibiotics and pain meds, with no real answers. After breaking two ribs and continuing to suffer, an MRI and bone marrow biopsy confirmed she had multiple myeloma. Her calcium levels were dangerously high, so she was hospitalized to help flush the calcium. After her initial treatment, and a syngenic transplant she briefly improved but relapsed six months later. Michelle contacted the HealthTree Foundation, where she learned more about the disease she was fighting and quickly switched to a myeloma specialist where she began a new treatment protocol, a year later reached remission and she has been MRD-negative ever since.