Author: Beth

I was diagnosed with MM in January of 2003. I underwent various treatments, including thalidomide/dex, revlimid/dex, dex alone, a clinical trial of CNTO 328, and Velcade, Doxil and dex until late August, 2007, when I had an autologous stem cell transplant after high dose melphalan. I experienced what's known as a very good partial response (VGPR). Since then, my myeloma has been stable.

Most Haunted Live

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I usually don’t watch stuff like this, but I’m tuned in to the Travel Channel to see “Most Haunted Live.” It’s a seven hour live “Most Haunted” marathon. Let’s just say that I’m skeptical. When I was at the Travel Channel, Sue Norton, executive producer, asked us to watch.  So I am.  I even brought a poster back with me to put in our window on SW Broad Street.

Speaking of haunting, I’m going to be at the Inn at the Bryant House tomorrow to shoot some video. The Inn is possibly haunted. :)  We’ll see.  There have been reports of disembodied voices being heard and other such things.  I’ll let you know more about it after I get back.

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Co-pay assistance for patients with Multiple Myeloma

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Subject: Co-pay assistance for patients with Multiple Myeloma

Myeloma Treatment

Message: Beth,

I just wanted to shoot you a quick message to let you know about our
organization. Patient Access Network Foundation provides co-pay
assistance for medications to insured patients who cannot afford the
co-pays for their treatment. We currently have 20 disease funds
including Multiple Myeloma.

Patients are eligible for assistance as long as they have insurance
that covers part of the cost of the medication, their income is below
400% of the federal poverty level, and they are a US resident.

Patients can apply by visiting our website at
www.patientaccessnetwork.org or by calling to speak with one of our
case managers at 1.866.316.7261.

If you could pass this information on to other patients you know, or
post a link in your blog, we would really appreciate it! We’re
trying to help out every patient we can, and every little bit helps!

Thanks,

Ashley Hutton
Patient Access Network Foundation

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Candidate addresses US health care needs

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I had the extreme good fortune of meeting the challenger for the NC Sixth Congressional District seat, Teresa Sue Bratton. I asked her to give me a few seconds of her time and asked what she believed was one of the most important issues we face. Dr. Bratton (MD) wants us to have better health care and prevention. I agree 100%.  In a country were health insurance is tied to our jobs, it’s one of the first things to go when we get sick.  A catastrophic illness can result in job loss, which results in the loss of coverage.  Then what?

Dr. Bratton knows that we can prevent many diseases through education and by making better choices. We also need to fill the gap between the insured and uninsured. Nobody should have to go without health care when it’s needed.

Please visit her web site for more information and please vote! My vote’s going to Dr. Bratton.

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Getting to the polls

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I volunteered to get voters to the polls either on election day or to early voting.  It’s very important to vote this year November 4th (or earlier).  Don’t let lack of transportation get in your way.  Someone will come and get you!  Call your local party’s headquarters and ask if there’s someone there who can come and get you. Don’t be shy!

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Everybody Vote!

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If you’re a US citizen and are eligible to vote, please don’t let anything stand in your way. Vote on November 4th or use early or absentee voting. Watch this video I got of Cyndi Lauper encouraging us all to vote. Sorry about the camera movement at the beginning.  It took me a little while to find her.

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How I learned about Falun Gong

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I never heard of Falun Gong before Saturday.  I was at the National Book Fair in DC on Saturday when I met Mrs. Yan near the Air & Space Museum. She goes there every Saturday to draw attention to the plight of practitioners in China, who are persecuted by the government there. I asked her to tell me a little bit about her cause.

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Our sister’s project is featured on the local news!

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Rachel’s project, WriterHouse, has been featured on Charlottesville’s NBC affiliate station, channel 29. Click here to read the story.

Writer House get some media attention

WriterHouse web site Charlottesville Virginia

None of the WriterHouse members wrote this article! They would have used a spell checker. Actually, they wouldn’t need to use a spell checker.  Some of them are competitors in the area’s annual spelling contest to raise money for literacy.

You can visit their web site at http://writerhouse.org.

The mission of WriterHouse is to promote the creation and appreciation of literature and to encourage the development of writers of all levels by providing affordable, secure workspace and meeting space, high quality writing instruction, and literary events for the public.

WriterHouse, Inc. is a non-profit organization, exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, and registered as a charitable organization with the Virginia State Office of Consumer Affairs. A financial statement is available from the State Office of Consumer Affairs in the the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services upon request.

Contact Rachel Unkefer for more information.
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Good discussions over at HealthBlogs.org

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http://lowsaltgirl.healthblogs.org/ – What are your ideas about cutting down on salt? I was personally never worried about it, because I never used to add salt to anything.  Processed foods are packed with sodium though, and there’s the problem.

Cindy has been keeping us up to date with her condition at http://cakassel55.healthblogs.org/.  I think it’s good to read about other peoples’ experiences because they help us to recognize things when they happen to us.

Margaret is trying to stay on top of a mountain of research, and posts it to her blog: http://margaret.healthblogs.org/. I’m about to give some of her experiments a try.  I’m still stable a year after the SCT, and want to keep it that way as long as possible.

I’ll post about some more blogs at a later time.

I stayed home from work today because I felt ill from the early morning on. I’m having some tea now, and am starting to feel better.  I should be back to normal tomorrow.

http://healthblogs.org

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