Audrey joined the Myeloma Crowd as the Community Manager in 2020 after previously working in the nonprofit field for 4 years as a director of Fundraising and Development. She graduated from BYU with a major in Spanish and Nonprofit Management. Audrey is passionate about serving others, loves learning, and enjoys a nice mug of hot chocolate no matter the weather.

Luckily, I was diagnosed with lambda light chain MM almost by accident. My orthopedic surgeon discovered bone “nibbling” after a CT scan after complaining of shin splints for over two months. I am a 75-year-old widow living in Santa Barbara. After induction and an SCT, I am in stringent complete response (SCR) and MRD. In my previous life, after college and a dual degree in biology and chemistry, I have been an IBM programmer, purchasing agent for a government contractor, Director of Materiel of a large international manufacturing company, and later Vice President of Operations for same. I thrive on information and research. I want to know why, how, and when for most problems presented to me. I enjoy charts, graphs, and writing project directed articles. For fun, especially now during my second year in lockdown, I enjoy reading and baking (new love) and preparing things I have never tried before. My neighbors and friends now ask what’s next as I don’t usually eat what I bake – I’d be as big as an elephant. I’ve enjoyed my introduction to the Myeloma Crowd (or Care Hub) as it is a vehicle for my own advocacy as well as education.

I was diagnosed with MM in Nov of 2015. Lesions had formed on my spine and I fractured a vertebra along with spinal compression. I had my stem cells harvested in December of the same year in preparation for my 1st SCT which took place in June of 2016. I went into remission and my Oncologist had recommended that I have a 2nd SCT.  Since I was already in remission, I did not want to have a second one. After many discussions with him and members of my medical team, I had my 2nd SCT in January of 2017. The 2nd SCT was much easier to tolerate and it drove me into deep remission which is where I've been ever since. I follow all the instructions set forth by my medical team and I'm feeling great! I do suffer from neuropathy which is a common side effect of chemo and I have constant pain from the cracked vertebrae. I am able to get around without any assistance but I do keep a cane in my car.

Soon to be 66 years old. Diagnosed with MM and Chronic Kidney Disease in July of 2016. I went through induction therapy starting in August of 2016, then had my stem cells harvested in early December of that year. I had a successful Stem Cell Transplant at Dana Farber in January of 2017. I have been on Revlimid and Velcade maintenance since May of 2017 but recently switched out Velcade for Ninlaro. I am currently MRD negative. Prior to getting MM I was sales manager for a small tooling distributor and enjoyed traveling around the country working with customers. I retired in the fall of 2018 to care for my wife who had been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. I have 2 adult sons, one is a student and lives at home, the other is an underwriter and lives about 90 minutes away. I enjoy making music, playing golf, and hiking with my dog Moose. I got involved with the coaching program a couple of years ago because I really wanted to give back to the Myeloma Community. When I was first diagnosed I was so overwhelmed and didn’t know where to turn to for information or support. Eventually I found The Myeloma Crowd by HealthTree and got the information and support I so needed. I want to make sure anyone with Multiple Myeloma has someone to turn to for help and guidance or just to talk about their journey.