I had the pleasure of interviewing Dave Braucht about why he participates in myeloma and amyloidosis research through HealthTree Cure Hub and why he invites others to do the same. 

Dave is an energetic, friendly man whose multiple myeloma diagnosis didn't completely shock him. He has two immediate family members with multiple myeloma and/or amyloidosis diagnoses, and he spent time as a caregiver to them both. 

Now, he's passionate about accelerating a cure for both multiple myeloma and amyloidosis and providing his fellow blood cancer patients with support through the Myeloma Coach program and his educational Facebook and social media posts. 

Read our interview below, as well as a Facebook post shared by Dave himself, to get to know why Dave participates in myeloma research through HealthTree Cure Hub and invites you to do the same. 

How did Dave hear about HealthTree Cure Hub? 

On Facebook about a year ago, someone mentioned HealthTree and being a Myeloma Coach. Dave was curious as to what that was- he was active in about five different groups on Facebook and had never heard of HealthTree/Myeloma Coach in the four years since he joined those groups.  

He knew he was interested, so he called the number on the post and got connected with the HealthTree team right away. He learned about the Coaching program, and while he thought it was a pretty good idea, he procrastinated taking the leap for a while. Several months later, after connecting 1:1 to support a fellow Facebook group member, he reflected on how good it felt to help others. He was ready to become a Myeloma Coach. 

Through one of his first Coach trainings, he heard about HealthTree Cure Hub. As soon as he got off the meeting, he created a free HealthTree Cure Hub profile and started poking around. He found out how to connect his medical records, connected records from five different facilities, and was able to access benefits and features like personalized treatment options, side effect solutions, and most importantly how to track his disease. 

Dave worked in tech for a living, so diving right into HealthTree Cure Hub and figuring out all its features was incredibly exciting to him. 

He became a HealthTree Cure Hub Certified Coach, meaning he understood the patient data portal and its benefits enough to teach others. He even shared it with his nurse practitioners as he received his infusions. He shares screenshots of the patient data portal with his social media groups and gets new people to sign up each week. He loves spreading the news about Cure Hub. 

Why did Dave join HealthTree Cure Hub? 

Dave was impressed that he could drill down on his labs in HealthTree Cure Hub- not only tracking the patterns of his labs but finally understanding his labs, biomarkers, different translocations, and complicated bone marrow biopsy results. 

"HealthTree Cure Hub makes it easy for patients to see graphically their labs. It gives them an image of their disease- a representation of what's truly going on inside their body." 

Making this incredibly complex disease less confusing allows patients to feel more in control of their disease and their treatment decisions- something that each myeloma patient should feel. 

How does Dave feel HealthTree Cure Hub improves Myeloma Research? 

HealthTree Cure Hub allows Dave (and others) to become a real part of myeloma investigators' findings and projects. This large database provides researchers with the potential for new projects- such as analyzing CD38 levels and giving traction to other rare diseases- like amyloidosis- by collecting anonymized data from these patients across the globe, all in one place for researchers to understand. 

Why does Dave participate in Surveys and Studies within HealthTree Cure Hub? 

Competitive in nature, Dave has completed almost all of the surveys and studies that HealthTree Cure Hub has to offer. 

"I love being able to help with research," Dave shares, "I want a cure! Too many people in my family have been directly affected by these cancers. I am the only one left and I want to help the people that come after me. The better the research, the closer we get to a cure." 

Join Dave in his search for a cure by participating in myeloma research today and easily (and securely) connecting your medical records to our patient database. 

Join HealthTree Cure Hub

A Post (and Invitation) from Dave 

The following is from Dave, he posted this on Facebook, but the invitation still applies to you!

Hi everyone,

I'm thrilled to showcase the power of HealthTree's Cure Hub! This amazing interface displays over 30 dynamic graphs based on my lab test data, spanning a remarkable eight and a quarter years, all meticulously aggregated from the HealthTree website. 

I am a Multiple Myeloma and AL Amyloidosis patient. I'm not a paid actor.  Lol

For me I monitor my Lambda light chain and a few other biomarkers. I've never had an M-spike because of my AL Amyloidosis, so I don't track it. If you use Cure Hub, you can monitor any biomarker and it will even give you a description of each biomarker. 

You might think visualizing medical data like this is a given, but Cure Hub sets itself apart. Its unique ability to gather data from multiple healthcare facilities truly shines. In my case, it seamlessly pulls information from five different institutions, presenting it in clean columns or interactive charts. It even effortlessly combines data from two separate clinics (each with two locations) and all three of my labs.

It's easy to spot the period where I received single-agent Daratumumab, my fourth line of treatment, and decipher its impact on my life! This was about Jan 2017. 

But Cure Hub's magic extends far beyond visualization. It offers a plethora of features to help you centralize and comprehend all your medical information in one convenient hub. I urge everyone to give it a try – it's free, secure, and seamlessly connects your medical records.

If you need extra assistance navigating your data or your Cure Hub journey, HealthTree goes the extra mile. They provide expert Myeloma Coaches, trained to offer insightful support and understanding. These dedicated coaches have additional specialization in utilizing Cure Hub to its full potential. You can even narrow your search for a coach based on location or Cure Hub expertise. Alternatively, if you prefer phone support, you can reach a friendly HealthTree Navigator by dialing (800) 709-1113.

Don't hesitate to empower yourself with HealthTree's invaluable tools. Visit MyelomaCoach.org and unlock the hidden insights within your medical journey!

#healthtree