Hi, my name is Colleen and I truly appreciate you taking a moment to read my story. I am 48 years old with a husband and 3 teenage kids. I am a REALTOR® and Senior Home Coach™. I have always loved helping others in many ways. It is very difficult for me to ask for help.

Since December, I have been battling different aches and pains throughout my body. At Thanksgiving last year, I ran a 5K Turkey Trot. In December, I was able to run but as the months went by, I was developing pain and could hardly walk at all. I went to urgent care in December for rib pain and ER in May for back pain. I also went to an ER out of state because of the high amount of pain. I didn’t even want anyone to touch my back because it hurt so much. No one could give me a hug nor could I hug them. X-rays didn’t show anything and I was told it was muscular and I needed muscle relaxers, although they didn’t work. I went to a massage therapist and she confirmed that it was not my muscles. She suspected something was wrong in my spine, possibly with my discs.

In June and July, we did some family travel and I could only keep up with everyone by using high doses of ibuprofen. In early August, I was in such pain and limping that I stopped driving because I didn't trust my own ability to drive a car.

In August, I had my annual blood work done with my primary care doctor and the results were all “wrong.” Nothing was normal. I also had a hip and pelvis x-ray done, which didn’t show anything for my joint, but was suspicious for Multiple Myeloma. I had a CT of my chest and abdomen the next week, which showed many rib fractures, 2 compression fractures in my spine and part of my pelvis had broken off. Lytic lesions were throughout my bones. I was also referred to an oncologist to see that day. He had me admitted to the hospital that night. Through many tests over the next 9 days, we were told that my kidney function was at 40% and liver function was also being affected by pain meds. I was anemic and had high calcium. Due to the high calcium, my bones were breaking on their own.

I received two units of blood. I have been a donor for decades and now really understand the importance of donating if one can. I never expected to be a recipient. Please, if you can donate blood, go do it for me or someone else you love.

I was released after 9 days. Being in a hospital bed for that long took a toll on my body and I’m now so weak that I walk with a walker and need assistance with stairs (our house is FULL of them). I am receiving home health, including OT, PT and a nurse.

My parents flew here while I was in the hospital to help out and have been here for almost a month now, but they need to go home for their own appointments and life. I have been so appreciative of them being here. I don’t know what I’d be doing without them here.

I have a new spot on my right leg that is always in pain. I had x-rays taken, but no lesions have appeared just yet. It is suspected that I am feeling things before they have the confirmed lesions, which scares me that my leg could break at any moment, considering the ribs and back pain ended up with fractures.

Although I am on pain meds, the pain is still not controlled. I have constant pain in my mid back and right leg. I’m never comfortable, especially sitting upright in a chair. I haven’t been comfortable for months. The pain gets to be so much that I can hardly handle it. That is very evident to anyone who is watching me move, sit down or lay down.

We have learned that Multiple Myeloma is very treatable, although I will need treatments for the rest of my life, similar to diabetes. There are two types of MM and I have learned I have the more aggressive form, which is very scary to me. I don’t want to miss out on my kids growing up or doing the things that I am here on this Earth to do yet.

I have begun treatments locally and will continue that for many months. At some point, I will need to go out of state for a bone marrow transplant that can keep me from home for up to 100 days.

Our insurance is covering the treatments so far. However, we have been told that there will likely be medications, other exams and such that may not be covered and they would be out of pocket expenses.

My family is setting up the Go Fund Me to be able to raise money for anything not covered by insurance, travel expenses, time off work for both myself and my husband and anything else that we don’t even know is on the horizon yet. We greatly appreciate any and all donations. If you aren’t able to donate, sharing with your friends and family would mean the world to us. Thank you so much for your consideration.