Ann Chenoweth

multiple myeloma coach since 2023

I was diagnosed at 64 years old in August, 2022 after my primary care physician ordered a urinalysis during my annual physical. It was abnormal and she quickly referred me to a Myeloma specialist/hematologist. I had no symptoms at all and was very active. I was surprised to say the least! I am stage 3 with high LDH and have ALL amyloidosis. I had between 50-100 bone lesions at diagnosis. My induction therapy was D-Vrd and I had to FIGHT my insurance company to pay for the Dara. They kept denying it. I worked in the healthcare industry my entire career and fortunately understand the concept of medical necessity and the denial process. My hematologist and I each wrote a letter and I appealed to the state insurance board. They overturned the denial and I was reimbursed for the entire amount I paid for Dara out-of-pocket (which was not cheap!). Now I'm on Medicare so there are different challenges to navigate! My ASCT (inpatient) was in January 2023 (MRD- after transplant) and now doing 10 mg Revlimed maintenance 28/28. Three months after starting Revlimed, I developed a horrible rash (head to toe) and discontinued Revlimed for 5 weeks which was pretty stressful. It was slowly reintroduced and I was back to my normal dose after 4 months with no side effects. My hematologist added Dara in Feb. 2024 because perivascular amyloids were present on bone marrow biopsy 1/24 (1 year post transplant) though I remain MRD-. In 12/24, my hematologist reduced my Revlimed dose to 5mg 28/28 due to consistently low ANC (I feel fine!). As of January, 2026, I am still MRD-. I’ve continued to be very active - hiking in the mountains, tennis, reformer pilates - all at the same intensity/frequency as before my diagnosis. It was important for me to stay active and I was playing tennis 5-6 weeks after ASCT. Back to league play after 2 months. I also love to travel and received approval by my hematologist to go on a planned trip to France 3 1/2 months after ASCT. I traveled to Europe three times in the first year after transplant (2023) and had 3 additional European trips in 2024 and 4 international trips in 2025 plus a few domestic trips to visit family and friends. Of course I wear an N95 mask on planes and trains. I eat out often (I hate to cook) and have had 3 instances of food poisoning since being diagnosed and was actually hospitalized 3 days in 2025 with salmonella (from poke bowl). I prefer to eat outside but when dining indoors, I ask for a table with a little extra space around it du to me being very immunocompromised. I find restaurants are very accommodating. I've received tremendous value from HealthTree coaches and I am passionate about paying it forward and want to help/support you anyway that I can in your myeloma journey. If the times I posted don’t work for you just let me know. I’m very flexible!

Derek Johnson

multiple myeloma coach since 2023

I was diagnosed in 2019 at 34 years old, on my grandmother’s birthday. Though, symptoms were compounding for over 9 months. I had some cough and congestion that held-on for 1 1/2 months. Then I had extreme eczema on my hands which made it apparent my immune system was starting to go haywire. Finally, leading-up to diagnosis was extreme back pain and 1/2 hour long back spasms. Hindsight is 20/20. Obviously, I shouldn’t have gone 10 years without a blood test. With that in-mind, perhaps my Myeloma could have been caught sooner instead of 90% Myeloma concentration found at the ER with a subsequent 2 1/2 week hospital stay due to uncontrollable pain. Now, I advocate for anyone with odd symptoms to schedule a blood test as it could save their life! Though, it’s funny looking-back as my pup had regular blood tests… we’re educated that’s the best way to catch major health issues for our furry friends, right? My introduction to Myeloma and cancer was not gentle. I was kicked-into the fire pit. But thanks to close family support, my pup, and fortunately an A+ oncology team I’ve made it out the other side. As I was getting past the emergency phase and into the maintenance phase there were some real shockers. I learned that I was outside the normal age-range for this cancer. I learned nearly 6months after diagnosis that there is no cure. Thus, I’d be on cancer meds for the rest of my life. Finally, why would I need a stem cell transplant? I had a successful stem cell transplant experience in July of 2020. I’ll admit it was a rough ride, but the hospital food was beyond excellent and made it that much better. Having Cancer sucks. There’s no other way to put it. No one wants to receive news they or a loved one has cancer. Though, thanks to modern medicine, Multiple Myeloma can for the most part be kept under control and maintained. Sure, there may be some physical limitations due to cancerous effects on the body and/or side effects from medications. But thanks to new cancer medications, one can still live a life worth living with some alterations. Don’t allow this cancer to get the best of you…

Ana Rocha

multiple myeloma coach since 2023

Hello I'm a Portuguese woman. I'm 53 years old and I was diagnosed with myeloma (non-secretory) in July 2021. I went to the hospital with a lot of back pain and I couldn't move my right arm anymore and I could barely walk. As soon as I was diagnosed, I started doing the 1st chemotherapy on my birthday, 08/30/2021. I was hospitalized for 8 months. 3 of which I couldn't move and then I went to the long term care and started physical therapy and started walking. I've already had 2 autologous transplants and I'm currently in remission with suspected MRD+. In Portugal, MRD is not evaluated.