Items You'll Need for Those First 30 Days
Myeloma Coach, Mary Sage, will walk you through items that you'll need to purchase or have on hand during the first 30 days of your Stem Cell Transplant experience. Whether you are considering in-patient or out-patient, you won't want to miss this. Come with questions!
This is a Google Meet. You do not need a Gmail Account to join. If you are joining using a tablet or phone, please make sure to download Google Meet from the App Store.
Audrey Burton-Bethke
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.
Mary Sage
Mary Sage lives with her husband Michael (who is also a MM Caregiver Coach), her adult son Raymond who is also one of her caregivers, and 2 dogs (Stella and Jake). She has lived in the Pacific Northwest region since 1986. She was diagnosed with Stage 2 IgG Lambda, standard risk in November 2015 and placed on immediate disability due to several spinal fractures and compressions, severe pain and limited mobility. Like many others, prior to diagnosis, she experienced years of bizarre blood results and chronic back pain that was becoming increasingly debilitating. Mary had a stem cell harvest in 2016 and a stem cell transplant (SCT) in 2019. Currently, her bloodwork shows standard risk MM; her MRD is positive with 5 parts per million. Since 2015 she has had 2 relapses and has become refractory to 2 treatments. Presently, her maintenance treatment, since May 2022, is KPd (Kyprolis, Pom and Dex) at 3 weeks on and 1 week off. Mary is in a good response with this treatment and hopes to be able to hold these results for a long time. Her pain is managed by a dedicated pain team who work closely with her to maintain quality of life.