Pat has been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. According to the staff at Mayo Clinic…

Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Plasma cells help you fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and attack germs.

Multiple myeloma causes cancer cells to accumulate in the bone marrow, where they crowd out healthy blood cells. Rather than produce helpful antibodies, the cancer cells produce abnormal proteins that can cause kidney problems.

Treatment for multiple myeloma isn’t always necessary. If you’re not experiencing signs and symptoms, you may not require treatment. If signs and symptoms develop, a number of treatments can help control your multiple myeloma.

Yesterday she received her first chemotherapy treatment. At some point in the future, she may be a candidate for a stem cell transplant.

As if MM wasn’t a plateful, Pat is simultaneously suffering from another rare disease, Amyloidosis. Here again is how the Mayo Clinic staff defines the disease…

Amyloidosis (am-uh-loi-DO-sis) is a rare disease that occurs when a substance called amyloid builds up in your organs. Amyloid is an abnormal protein that is usually produced in your bone marrow and can be deposited in any tissue or organ.

Amyloidosis can affect different organs in different people, and there are different types of amyloid. Amyloidosis frequently affects the heart, kidneys, liver, spleen, nervous system and digestive tract. Severe amyloidosis can lead to life-threatening organ failure.

There’s no cure for amyloidosis. But treatments can help you manage your symptoms and limit the production of amyloid protein.

You’d never know from Pat’s composure and sense of fun that her body is being undermined by such fiends as these. It’s her fervent wish and mine that having you along on her journey will offer hope and resilience to those in need. Whether you suffer similar afflictions or know of someone who does, she’s here to say…

…you’re not alone. 

…pat hugs you…as do i.

………hugmamma.