Clare Vallee

multiple myeloma coach since 2020

Hi my name is Clare Vallee. I am a retired nurse practitioner/administrator and lawyer. 4 months after I finally retired I discovered I had seven fractured/healing ribs as well as anemia. Except for the painful ribs which had been happening for close to a year, I felt fine, or so I thought. As a nurse I knew that ribs don’t spontaneously fracture and expected some cancerous issue such as bone metastasis. It only took a bone scan to see the serious devastation to my skeletal system. It’s amazing that I did not have any other fractures. I was able to see a heme/onc specialist from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical center within days of the bone scan. He confirmed the diagnosis of Multiple myeloma. Something I had never heard of. Imagine, me, the orthopedic nurse practitioner, with bone cancer? It was just to strange to even fathom. Of course I immediately did as much reading as I could-Dan Rather’s book freaked me out. Then I found out that my former law partner’s wife had it, so we met them for lunch. It was one of the scariest conversations I think I have ever had. I remember leaving that lunch and saying that “there is no way I will ever have a stem cell transplant .” My mantra to my oncologist was “quality over quantity.” Which took some time to sink in. I know that doctors want to save everyone, forever. I consulted with Dana Farber who was very much supportive of my choices for care. I am now going on 6 years of treatment. I have done RVD, RND, DKD and currently I am on pomylast, xpovio (selinexor) and Dex, all oral meds. I miss my clinic friends. My mspike is hovering around 0.2 which is lovely. My neuropathy will never go away, but at least I don’t have pain. In early Jan, 2024 they saw three nodules in my lungs, which were determined to be metastatic melanoma. Dana Farber melanoma lung specialists determined that the best treatment would be radiation. I had 15 treatments, which were painless and caused no issues. I did stop MM treatment during this time. My scan in June showed that the melanoma was cured. I look forward to connecting with fellow MM travelers on this trying journey.

Basil Piazza

multiple myeloma coach since 2025

I was experiencing lower back pain and after my primary care doctor ordered an x-ray which showed slightly compressed discs she then ordered an MRI to look for ruptured disc and that is when the lesions were found on my sacrum and iliac bones. After further testing and imaging through the VA hospital I was finally referred to a Multiple myeloma specialist who confirmed the disease and got me started on chemotherapy with a four drug combination (DRVD). I went through four cycles and got good results (stringent complete response) before I then did the bone marrow/stem cell transplant procedure. I had some anxiety about that but got through it with minimal side effects and good results. I attended a Health Tree mm round table in Miami and found it very educational and comforting. I have also sought out other support groups and wish that I had been referred to something like that earlier in my diagnosis process. I am living well now with maintenance therapy and happy to report that I am at MRD negative. Before my chemotherapy stared at the Moffitt Cancer Center I underwent radiation therapy for three weeks at the Tampa VA Hospital which helped to shrink the tumor and alleviate some pain. I am an Army Veteran who served multiple combat tours in Iraq. I am a retired Combat Engineer Officer.

Barbara Mower

multiple myeloma coach since 2023

My husband, a Vietnam veteran, was diagnosed in 2016. We had recently moved across country, so we knew no one. We live in a relatively rural area and have been treated by a local oncologist and a specialist at a cancer hospital 8 hours away. He underwent a stem cell transplant in 2016. Fortunately, the month after my husband's diagnosis, I met another caregiver with the same doctor and insurance company. She was kind enough to chat with me about finances, stem cell transplants, and navigating treatment remotely. My husband and I both benefited from her knowledge sharing and have endeavored to do the same when we learn of local patients. Our journey continues as he just came out of remission in August 2022.