Only 3 people.

Tonight was our monthly Myeloma meeting.  I have said this before and I will say again "I love this meeting.  What a special group we are"!  Sharing our successes.  Sharing our failures.  Sharing our personal, dehumanizing side effects knowing that someone else there has experienced or is experiencing the same.  Sharing a few laughs at the disease.  Sharing the part our caregivers provide. Sharing the knowledge of one another.  Sharing the love we really feel for each other.  Sharing our faith.  Strangers brought together by a cancer.  Strangers brought together by Multiple Myeloma.  Strangers from a young age of probably 35 to Don who will be 84 the end of the month.  Strangers battling our battles together.

Ben.  The youngest probably of our group.  Ben.  Who told me I was an inspiration to him several meetings ago.  Ben.  Who was diagnosed about the same time I was in July 2016.  Ben.  Who was doing so good.  Ben.  Now has relapsed.  Ben.  Now has a tumor on his backbone.  Plasmacytoma.  Amazing that Ben and I seem to be following each other with our Myeloma journey.  He will be doing radiation starting this week.  I pray this week for all "the strangers" but mostly for Ben.

Ken is the name of the guy who started the group.  Next month will be 10 years since he first started it.  At the time there were only 3 people and Ken was one of them.  Now I would say there are probably 20 "strangers" that make it every month and another 5 that make it occasionally.  Not sure how many have lost the battle since he started the group but Ken has someone light a candle each month in honor of those persons.  We are so glad we found this group.  Thank you Kristi!!!

Quote:

The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more.