In 2019, my wife and I had just returned from a mission to Hong Kong for our church. It was a great time of life, and I was feeling wonderful. But after falling a couple of times, I thought I had dislocated a rib. I went to my doctor, who said we’d better investigate further. To my surprise, he sent me to a cancer specialist at Intermountain Health in Logan, Utah. After blood tests and a PET scan, I was informed that I had multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that forms in plasma cells and builds up in bone marrow. The specialist discussed it all with me, and described the course of treatment I would need.
Up until that time I’d never had any serious health concerns. I was very active: each week I played basketball three or four times and tennis two or three times. In Hong Kong I usually walked between 10,000 and 20,000 steps daily.
I immediately began chemotherapy and radiation, and received a stem-cell transplant. I will say this up front, “Nothing you have ever experienced will prepare you for those three procedures.” Soon after, I started taking chemo and radiation they found I had a fairly large tumor on one of my vertebrae and three on my ribs.
As far as stem-cell transplant, my doctor described it as “setting off an atomic bomb inside your body.” And he was absolutely right: you lose all of your immunity, you can’t eat, you have no energy, and the fatigue is simply unbelievable.
It's interesting, the feelings you go through when you’ve always been able to overcome everything that’s ever been presented to you in your life – and then you’re faced with cancer. I spent 40 days in the hospital, and I was so lucky that my wife was by my side the whole time. I was (and am) very blessed that she stuck by me through everything because it’s very hard to be a caregiver to someone who is so sick. We had many discussions, and in the end, we decided that quality of life was better than quantity.
I’ve been off of chemo for well over a year and I’m just starting to feel a little bit like myself. I’m still dealing with neuropathy in my feet and hands. That’s something you can’t really explain; it’s hard to walk and feel normal. You’re also cold all the time while you are going through treatments. But I’m still alive and able to do most of the things I love, so that’s a plus.
If you’re diagnosed with cancer, make sure you prepare your team – your family and friends, and anyone who will be supporting you during your ordeal, because it’s a long, tough one. My own journey was made much better by the caring doctors at the University of Utah and Intermountain Health systems. The doctors in both organizations conferred and worked with each other to give me the best-possible outcome.
If you’ve received a cancer diagnosis, get yourself in the best physical shape and follow the healthiest diet you can. Today I’m able to walk and run, I’m playing basketball and tennis, and I can go hiking with my wife. While my life isn’t back to where it was before my diagnosis, there are many things that I can look forward to and enjoy.
I hope if you’re told you have cancer, that you will have the people and positive experience that I did. Keep your faith and be strong. And above all else, believe that you’re going to be back to where you were before.