Nigel Holmes had no idea what multiple myeloma was when he was diagnosed with the disease in 2017.
The Maple Ridge resident was surprised considering, as he has since learned, multiple myeloma is the second most prevalent blood cancer in Canada – and is estimated to take the lives of 1,750 Canadians this year alone, according to Myeloma Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society.
A year before his diagnosis Holmes started having symptoms, but the aches and pains he was feeling he put down to getting older, since he was 36 at the time, and the wear-and-tear of running around after two young children.
He was experiencing all kinds of back pain, some of which he described as excruciating. Holmes went to the hospital but was told to take a muscle relaxant and to take it easy, no heavy lifting.
Eventually, one night he remembered standing in the bathroom and his back locked up and he started having spasms.
His wife had to call 9-1-1 to get him off the floor.
He told his doctor about the episode, and was sent for X-rays that day. That's when bone lesions and fractures were discovered throughout his spine.
Then he was sent for blood work and a hematologist made the diagnosis – multiple myeloma. Holmes was only 37. A bone marrow biopsy at Royal Columbian Hospital would confirm the diagnosis.
"It's like drinking from the fire hose when you have been diagnosed with cancer. You have all this technical information coming at you, the testing is overwhelming," he said.
However, Holmes received literature immediately from doctors about the disease, one pamphlet directed him to myeloma.ca.
"Reading through that documentation was extremely beneficial – right down to explaining what blood tests meant so all these crazy new numbers that I'd never seen," he said, noting that it beat Googling the terms, something he would not recommend anyone in his boots to do, as the information about the disease is conflicting online.
Holmes said it was mentally challenging living with the disease at first.
"When you are diagnosed with cancer, incurable cancer, I kind of feel like it changes your outlook on life," he said.
The first couple of years, he struggled with depression.
"I'm just waiting around to relapse. I'm just waiting around to die," were his thoughts.
However, he said the community support he received at the monthly multiple myeloma meet up groups he attended, helped him immensely. The meetings are a place where multiple myeloma patients can get together to talk about everything from advancements in treatments, personal struggles with their health, right down to government benefits available.
"That was huge for me. The community support was massive," he said, noting it helped him with his mental health. "Just having a place to vent."
Holmes remembers a doctor telling him that if his diagnosis was 10 years earlier, the conversation would be much different conversation than in 2017.
That, said Holmes, speaks to the amount of research going into the disease and new advancements and treatments, lowering the mortality rate of the disease.
"It gives me such hope," he said.
Holmes has already relapsed and he will relapse again, which is normal, he said, with multiple myeloma because it is a non-curable cancer.
Now when he relapses, though, he is not scared anymore, even though he has to go through a fairly high regiment of chemotherapy, on a weekly basis, and stem cell transplants to keep the cancer stable. When the cancer enters into a manageable remission, Holmes has to take monthly maintenance chemotherapy and blood work, which is what he is doing now.
Holmes is sharing his story to create awareness about the disease.
He said multiple myeloma can affect any age range.
"It's just bringing awareness to people, just because you are in your 30's or 40's and you have back pain, I mean, don't just write this stuff off to well I'm getting older, I've been lifting kids around, I've been bad to my body. Be persistent. Be your own advocate," he advised, don't let it get to the point where you are getting fractures or breaks.
"I know there are multiple myeloma patients out there who are suffering in silence," he added, and he wants them to know there is plenty of help available to them.
Once he joined the multiple myeloma group, he was able to share his thoughts with others, and say as much or as little as he wanted.
"Just to hear other people's stories, makes you feel not so alone," he said.
The month of September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month and shines a spotlight on the impact of multiple myeloma.
"The number of Canadians diagnosed with myeloma is steadily increasing year after year. While there is not yet a cure, people with myeloma are living longer and better lives thanks to recent breakthroughs in research and treatment," said the Myeloma Canada website which contains information for people recently diagnosed with the disease, living with the disease, and for caring for someone with myeloma, and more.
For more information go to: https://myeloma.ca/.
