Mark Bastian

multiple myeloma coach since 2023

My name is Mark, I am 65 years old. My husband Rodd & I live in San Miguel de Allende MX. In April 2022 I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma by my doctor here in Mexico. Went through 4 months of treatment. In August of 2022, we traveled to Nashville TN to the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute to begin the process of Stem Cell Transplant. September 2nd I had my transplant. We stayed in Nashville to the beginning of October. We then traveled back to San Miguel. I am happy to report my transplant was a success. I am cancer cell free & myeloma free. Back at the gym, back to cooking & baking that I love so much. My background is in the baking industry. My life today is better than I could have imagined a year ago. Yes, I am a bit slower, do experience some back issues but it's nothing compared to where I was. I am so grateful for today. My husband Rodd just came back from a 6 week, 7,635 mile tour of the US. We called it "Remission Tour 2023". We visited family, my children & our grandsons. It was truly wonderful and beat expectation. Plus, I felt great on this trip. We met with my doctors in Nashville as well for a follow up great lab results. Having Multiple Myeloma was not easy, some of the worst days in my life. I am so grateful for the great doctors, nurses who treated me, the love and support I received from friends & family, mostly from the care I received from my husband Rodd. Could not have walked through this without him. When I found out I had Multiple Myeloma I void I would remain positive as possible, take this serious, ask for help, keep a sense of humor. All this help me in so many ways.

Randi Schwartz

multiple myeloma coach since 2020

Hi! I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma at age 47 and had an autologous SCT in August of 2016. This summer, I will be celebrating my 5 year “new” birthday -a wonderful milestone! To date, my myeloma presents free of high risk genetic markers; however, it is accompanied by the complication of light chain deposition disease which compromises kidney function. As someone who loves the outdoors & endurance sports (running, biking, hiking, triathlon) dealing with kidney issues has been a tricky piece of my puzzle while I’ve worked to re-gain parts of my pre-myeloma life. Tricky as it may be, with the support of a good team of medical professionals, family, friends, and myeloma community paired with properly educating and advocating for myself, I have been incredibly fortunate to return to many of the things I love while managing this disease. For me, the power of mindset has played a huge role in living a vibrant life while co-existing with an incurable blood cancer. As a practitioner & coach of mind body medicine (and yoga instructor) I have personally experienced how powerful our daily practices and lifestyle can be in optimizing our sense of well-being and inner peace-especially while facing the many challenges and uncertainties of a cancer diagnosis. I have had the honor of sharing these practices with many cancer patients and others dealing with adversity and have witnesses the life changing results of developing a tool box of healthy coping strategies within a “safe circle of support.” Going through a cancer diagnosis is, no doubt, scary and can feel very lonely. My hope is to help any Myeloma patient I can through their journey; emotionally, physically, spiritually and in any way I can to help empower him or her through the process. Whether they want to laugh, cry, ask questions or compare notes, I want to support myeloma patients in navigating their needs and to never feel alone in doing so.

Jessie Daw

multiple myeloma coach since 2020

I was diagnosed with smoldering myeloma in late 2016, after a few years of having increasing severe respiratory infections every 2-3 months. I live in South Dakota, and see a local onc/hem doctor quarterly, with one of those quarterly visits replaced by a trip to Mayo Rochester to see a specialist. I considered some clinical trials early on in my diagnosis, but haven't entered one. My numbers have remained pretty stable since diagnosis. Recently, I went through full work-up for amyloidosis, and that was negative :-). I changed some things in my life in the year after diagnosis, including leaving my job and focusing on quality of life issues. In that respect, this diagnosis has been a blessing. Of course, I'd rather not have the diagnosis, but it spurred some changes that I don't think I would have made otherwise, and I feel like my life is richer because of those changes. I have become involved in patient advocacy, as I started South Dakota's first myeloma support group. I also have participated in an MMRF Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma event, and I really enjoy serving as a Myeloma Coach. I value the time I get to connect with others who have myeloma. We all have our challenges, and connecting with others around those challenges, as well as the good things in our lives, is really meaningful.