Prolonging Papa's Life: Battling Multiple Myeloma - Stage 3 Plasma Cell Cancer

Just when we thought all was going well according to our plan, our father, Rey, 58, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Multiple Myeloma, four months after their arrival in the US.

According to Google- the most advanced stage of this type of rare cancer.

It was an American Dream come true when our parents got approved for their permanent residency in the US in December 2022 after waiting for several long years, plus COVID. With the vision of finally being able to help out each other upon their arrival in Hawaii, it was a great start to 2023, or so we thought.

Papa started having frequent infections back in the Philippines earlier that year. Always tired, always with UTI, Hematemesis and most notably, pain in the shoulder and clavicle area. He had frequent visits to the doctor, however, was only diagnosed with anemia as his red blood count was too low. He was also referred to a Hematologist in November 2022 as it has not improved so much based on his previous checkups. However, as this was also the month when both our parents were busy with all the preparations for their move to the US, it wasn't the top priority. He was physically okay, he can still drive, he eats well, and can do the daily things he does.

A few weeks after their arrival in Hawaii, he started having severe pain in his left shoulder. At first, we thought it was because it was a little bit colder compared to the Philippines and also just comes with age. After a month, couldn't sleep at night, couldn't eat and he just became different. His temper changed probably because of how painful it was. We decided to take him to the Emergency Unit at Queens Medical Centre on 28 January, where he was initially diagnosed with an infection in the blood and arthritis. His pain subsided for some weeks after the medication, however, after two weeks, the excruciating pain on his right and left shoulder came back with a vengeance. As he described it, it was the pain that he felt like he was better gone than suffering.

This is when we decided to send him to an Orthopaedic. Several imaging were done including MRI and X-rays, where the doctor identified that he had several lesions all over the body. He was then referred to a haematologist oncologist for further investigations. Two days before his birthday, 18 April, he was diagnosed with Stage III, IgG Lambda Myeloma, a type of cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell. This came as a shock. No one from our family has cancer, any type of cancer. He stopped drinking, he doesn't smoke, he eats healthy and well.

His condition poses a threat to life or bodily function in the near term without treatment. While we were devastated by the diagnosis, some part of us are still grateful that his cancer was identified when they were already in the US. With more advanced healthcare and technology, we hoped that it could still be cured... which is unfortunately not.

Multiple myeloma is a rare blood cancer that affects our plasma cells. While multiple myeloma is currently incurable, related conditions and symptoms may be treated which can slow down its progress. Some people live for years with multiple myeloma. Other people have multiple myeloma that's in remission. Maybe by the time his cancer is in remission, the world will already find a cure for this type of cancer.

On his initial treatment plan, he was given palliative radiation to ease the pain on his bone shoulders, and his forefoot- these are the worst parts of his body experiencing pain. This was followed by continued chemotherapy up to this date. In July, upon assessment at Stanford Medical Care, he was identified as eligible for an Autologous Stem Cell Transplant. Autologous HCT is not thought to be a curative treatment, but it does prolong the duration of remission as compared to chemotherapy alone and is therefore part of the standard of care for medically eligible patients.

With the current treatments he is in, the medical expenses as well as the future ones are currently piling up. Whilst he has insurance coverage, this still falls short as the expenses for the chemotherapy itself can be around USD 40,000 to USD 60,000 per month, plus the medication he has to take. Not to mention other living expenses which we also need to bear.

The cost of the transplant alone is already quite high, more so the travel expenses we will need to bear. We would really like to push through with the transplant as we would like to continue fulfilling the goal he set in the beginning- his American Dream, to have a better life and continue helping his family. We'd like to see him achieve this with no pain.

In light of this, we have set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to cover his medical expenses. We humbly ask for your support in this endeavour. Your contribution, no matter the size, will make a significant difference in his journey towards a better life.

If you are unable to contribute financially, please consider sharing my GoFundMe page on your social media accounts or with your network. Spreading the word can make a substantial impact and help reach a wider audience.

We are filled with gratitude for your support and for being a part of this journey. Together, we can make a difference.