Fifty-six-year-old Chicago native Gail Jarrett-Black had never had health problems and didn’t worry much about her health. She was hard-working, fun-loving and a married parent. But it seemed like all of a sudden, fatigue started setting in. However, lab tests performed during a regular checkup in the summer of 2007 revealed her blood had high levels of a protein associated with multiple myeloma.
What prompted her to get tested was that she feeling more and more exhausted after teaching her third grade class.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer that begins in the plasma cells, which are white blood cells in the bone marrow that produce antibodies for fighting infection. When the plasma cells multiply too quickly, they can form tumors near solid bones. These tumors can weaken the bones and make it difficult for the bone marrow to make healthy blood cells. Some patients don't have any symptoms; others may experience bone pain, broken bones, fever, bruising, bleeding, weakness or fatigue.
As part of her initial workup, her doctor, Dr. Zimmerman, ordered a skeletal survey -- a set of X-rays of all the bones in the body -- to check for tumor lesions near any bone. "The survey showed no evidence of bone damage and Gail exhibited no other symptoms of the disease," Zimmerman said. Because this type of low-grade, slow-growing myeloma doesn’t always develop further, Zimmerman recommended monitoring Jarrett-Black rather than beginning treatment right away.
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Several months later, Jarrett-Black had pain in her shoulder but didn't relate it to the cancer. Otherwise, she says she remembers feeling wonderful. Then, in March 2008, Jarrett-Black had sudden debilitating pain in her back. She described it as feeling like "a bolt of lightening going down my spine." An MRI scan showed tumor growth and evidence of new bone damage. It was the news she didn't want to hear: the cancer was progressing.
Zimmerman designed a nine-month care plan that included radiation (to reduce the pain), chemotherapy (to bring the cancer into remission) and an autologous stem cell transplant (to return healthy blood cells back to her bone marrow).
While undergoing chemotherapy, Jarrett-Black suffered a personal setback when her 48-year-old husband died suddenly of a heart attack. Her family and friends came to be by her side throughout her road to recovery. "I was never alone,"...
...she recalled. "They stayed with me 24 hours a day."
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After her stem cell transplant, Dr. Zimmerman gave the option for Jarrett-Black to participate in an ongoing clinical trial of a "maintenance therapy" for multiple myeloma. At the time, the University of Chicago Medicine was taking part in a multi-center national study of an investigational medication to improve survival after stem cell transplantation. Despite past preconceived notions of clinical trials against African Americans, Jarrett-Black decided to enroll in the study.
Six months into her trial period, Zimmerman informed Jarrett-Black that an interim analysis of study results showed the medication significantly improved survival among patients.
Approaching the fifth year of her cancer's remission, Jarrett-Black continues to take the medication once a day. She says she hasn't had any setbacks and is at her strongest ever. When she isn't working as a substitute teacher for Chicago public schools, she spends time visiting Chicago’s libraries, parks, concerts and lakefront.
Jarrett-Black sees Zimmerman every few months to have her blood checked for signs of relapse. During her visits, she often tells him, "I am so glad you decided to be a doctor."
She also gives high marks to the University of Chicago Medicine staff -- from the valets to the clinic coordinators to the nurses in the clinics and in the hospital. "From the time I walked in until I left the hospital, everyone was fantastic," she said. "They made every accommodation for me and were always encouraging."
She added, "I can’t say enough about the compassion that was shown to me and how it made me feel. When you are really sick, everything counts."
Post originally seen here. For more on what Multiple Myeloma is and what you can do about it, click here.
