Kathy Giusti

Despite the fact that one in every two men and one in every three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, no one ever expects it to happen to them. I surely didn't. I was an otherwise healthy 37-year-old when I was diagnosed in 1996 with multiple myeloma, the same rare cancer Tom Brokaw has.

American Activist

Tom Brokaw

Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to run for vice president, died from multiple myeloma. Frank Reynolds, the ABC anchorman, who I had talked to toward the end of his life, not knowing what he had, died from it. Later I found out that Frank McGee, who was the Today Show host, died from it.

American Journalist

In 15 years, we've raised $225 million, sequenced the myeloma genome, and opened 45 trials of 23 drugs - six approved by the FDA - which have doubled the life span of multiple myeloma patients. I've taken both Velcade and Revlimid, which we helped develop.

I'm happy to say that I am in remission. That R word is something critically important to cancer patients, especially in a disease like myeloma. But I never lose sight of the fact that there is another R word called relapse.

Myeloma is a medical term used by healthcare professionals and in scientific research.

Technical Term

Myeloma refers to a serious health condition; it can bring a sense of gravity to conversations.

Serious Illness

Don't confuse myeloma with leukemia; both affect the bone marrow but are different diseases.

Not Leukemia

 remember to join me in conversation I will be here for the rest of the time so please join me in the conversation I'm putting myeloma voice low so that I don't disturb them they're rather a Chinese little white guys you can chat to me on hashtag Safari life or you can

Safari Live - Day 312 PIPE...

 in survival for people with kidney cancer multiple myeloma colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors that's impressive but for other tumors and cancer types the improvements have only been modest so I started asking myself why haven't

Can we eat to starve...

 for people with kidney cancer, multiple myeloma, colorectal cancer, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. That's impressive. But for other tumors and cancer types, the improvements have only been modest.