Coffee with All4Cure - Kristine (2/3)

Since my myeloma diagnosis, the best piece of advice I have been given came from my friend, Kristy, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer when we were both 32. She was a friend of mine from junior high school, and she believed that being as positive as you can helps both your healing and your outcome. The week or two after my initial myeloma diagnosis put me in a “woe is me” mindset. I was crying all the time and began asking myself questions like “Am I going to see my son grow up? Am I going to see him get married?” To shrink those fears, I needed to be positive and find the bright side in my situation. I began feeling grateful that my doctors found the myeloma now instead of later. My pregnancy with my son helped them find it. Holding on to that sort of positivity throughout my whole treatment, no matter how horrible, was the best thing. I also began writing in a journal to my son in the case that I didn't make it. Today, even though I'm doing well, I am almost done with the second journal. Every so often, I write about what’s going on in our lives or something we’ve done together. I do it so he has my handwriting and my account of the story of our lives before he was born and while he was here. I believe it's something good for him to have. It also helps me to get my emotions out. When I was first learning about myeloma, everything said that a typical lifespan is three to five years and that scared me. I was afraid that I would not get to see my son start school. Recently, and ironically, he began Transitional Kindergarten on August 19th, 2020. August 19th was the day I was diagnosed with myeloma in 2015. Exactly five years later, I got to see him start school.