Charlotte Pineda

multiple myeloma coach since 2024

You are unique and so is your myeloma experience. While we have much to learn from each other; ultimately, only you can decide what’s best for you. As a Certified Professional Coach, I see myself as a partner who helps others create clarity and move forward as courageous self-advocates who make the best decisions for themselves. My vision is for each of us living with myeloma to live life to the fullest and on our own terms! In March 2023 I was hit with the news: “You have high-risk smoldering myeloma…It will likely progress to multiple myeloma within two years." Less than a year later, I learned that I had multiple myeloma. I started induction therapy which included Velcade (bortezomib), Darzalex (daratumumab), Revlimid (lenalidomide), and dexamethasone. Due to side effects, dexamethasone was reduced and then eliminated. Gratefully, I'm responding well to treatment at this time. To borrow a popular business term: myeloma means a life filled with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). Early on, I decided not just to survive–but to thrive. I take one day at a time and credit consistent meditation and exercise for helping me through each day. In addition to being a coach, I’m a meditation and breathwork teacher. I get so much satisfaction from helping others incorporate meditation and breathwork into their lives. I don’t attempt to force myself or others to “just be positive.” Instead, I focus on hope and optimism and work hard not to beat myself up for having bad days–and sometimes weeks. It’s all about resilience. As psychologist and TED speaker, Susan David said, “Hope and optimism are different from (false) positivity. They are future-oriented and earned by a willingness to work hard and problem-solve to create a better outcome…Your feelings are valid, important, and worthy of honoring with compassion, but they are not facts or directives that get to boss you around. You can show up to them with compassion, courage, and curiosity, and then make your own choices about how you move forward.” This is where hearing the stories of others on HealthTree Foundation has helped me, and I’m honored to give back and help others as a coach. It’s not easy; but with courage, hope, and optimism, I believe we can thrive! When I’m not coaching, you'll find me spending time with family, playing with my Jack Russell Terrier, meditating, practicing yoga, learning something new, or relaxing with a good book. I look forward to speaking with you!

Angela Byrd

multiple myeloma coach since 2024

Hello, I was diagnosed in July 2021. What I didn’t know was for 11 years before I was MGUS. I was started on Revlimid in Oct 21 and still take 25mg daily for 21 days monthly. I have adrenal insufficiency, stage 3 kidney disease, chronic anemia which I did not have before I was diagnosed. Because I felt so good with really no problems I don’t think I took this diagnosis seriously. I’m a Mom of 2 adult daughters and 4 Grandchildren. I have a great support system but my family has no idea what this Cancer is. I’m a Veteran, but I have no idea if this Cancer came from something I could have been exposed too. No one in my family have cancer and I come from a large Military family.

Terry Glassman

multiple myeloma coach since 2023

I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma / Primary Plasma Cell Leukemia on November 17, 2022. As a registered nurse with ICU and cardiac research experience, my medical background helped me quickly grasp the complexity of my diagnosis and the treatments involved. Today, I use both that clinical knowledge and my lived experience as a patient to help others navigate their own myeloma journeys. I felt called to coach and support others because I truly believe our greatest purpose is helping one another. There is something uniquely powerful about speaking with someone who genuinely understands what you’re going through. Even with a strong and loving support system, this experience has been incredibly hard. I hope to offer others the understanding, empathy, and reassurance I wished for during my own journey, shaped by both my nursing background and what I’ve learned as a patient. From a treatment perspective, I have had my stem cells harvested but am currently holding off on transplant unless it becomes necessary. I have the t(11;14) translocation and have been on venetoclax for over two years. I was also treated with Kyprolis for two years, and I’m happy to share my personal experience with these therapies for anyone considering them. More recently, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and have undergone a lumpectomy and radiation, and I will be starting Arimidex soon. If you are navigating a breast cancer diagnosis alongside multiple myeloma, I’m very open to talking about that experience as well. If sharing what I’ve learned helps even one person feel less overwhelmed, less afraid, or less alone, then I’ve accomplished exactly what I set out to do.