October, 2024

Hello! I am Gisèle Fournier and I live with multiple myeloma.

Let's travel back to spring 2020 for a short moment. What was happening at that time? Amongst other things, the beginnings of a pandemic...

After having worked for 20 years in France and Switzerland, I was in the midst of preparing my move back to Quebec when the first shutdown occurred in Switzerland.

My relocation project, already complex, suddenly became much more difficult and was even stopped for a while. I was monitoring very closely the news in Quebec and getting sick worrying about my mother who was then over 90 years old and living in a retirement home.

To ease my mind a bit and get some respite from the heavy sorting and packing work, I used to hike in the

Alps. In short, it was a very active

and physical period: I was super stressed but in shape.

In early June though, as I was bending over to scrub the bathtub, something in my rib cage just 'gave way'... That was

a very strange feeling, and painful.

I consulted my family physician in Switzerland. X-rays showed nothing

(no bone was actually displaced) so could it be muscular? I started taking anti-inflammatory pills in the hope I would heal rapidly.  

A month later, i.e. two days before boarding my one-way flight to Montreal (QC), the pain was still quite sharp. My doctor agreed to prolong the prescription for anti-inflammatory pills only if we did a serum protein electrophoresis test.

Once back in Quebec, I did not have a valid RAMQ (Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec) health card which meant I could not access universal health coverage (there is a 3-month delay following a prolonged absence). I contacted a private clinic as soon as the quarantine was over, around the end July. I handed over all my test results and the letter to the general practitioner but his hypothesis was that I was suffering from bruising, hence I got a new prescription for anti-inflammatory drugs.

Unfortunately, in August, I started experiencing more and more pain in my ribs: left and right, front and back... We would later discover that nine ribs were fractured in that period. I barely dared to move; the pain was so acute that I had spasms. 

I kept insisting to see a hematologist-oncologist but to no avail.

A friend of mine, whose sister works at the Federation of Medical Specialists of Québec put me in contact with Dr Martin Champagne, the President of the Association of Hematologists and Oncologists of Quebec. Over the weekend, they had a few short but productive telephone chats, and at 7am Monday morning, I got a call from Dr Champagne. He was on his way to the Verdun Hospital and I could hear his footsteps on the sidewalk! 'What is happening with you, Mrs. Fournier?' 

Dr Champagne set up an appointment for me to have a biopsy at his office that Wednesday. Friday morning, he confirmed the diagnosis of multiple myeloma and the official start of myeloma care. I clearly owe him a lot. 

“But, what do you mean by cancer???" There is not one case in my family! 

All my life I thought I had maintained healthy habits. Until then, I had had no health issues whatsoever.

I could not understand but tried to digest the reality of the prognosis as quickly as possible.

Considering my extremely painful ribs, my first question was: 'Will I be able to row again?' In other words, will I ever move normally again... “Yes”, said Dr. Champagne.

Immediately following the diagnosis, I was very fortunate to chat with Martine Elias, the Chief Executive Officer of Myeloma Canada. She kindly put me in touch with several support groups, which proved very beneficial to me in understanding what was happening, and what waited ahead.

Many of my myeloma colleagues and friends talk about having been blown away by the diagnosis. If tests and analyses results were not so telling, we simply would not believe it...

In the fall of 2020, I underwent the chemo protocol preparing me for an autologous stem cell transplant, as well as monthly infusions of bisphosphonates (Aredia) to strengthen my bones.

I tried walking every day as it was the only physical activity I could maintain with my badly damaged ribs. I had a few episodes of tachycardia, took care of my digestive system, and tried to treat multiple styes (all possible side effects of bortezomib), but that was not much knowing that the objective was to literally save my life. 

My stem cell transplant was slightly delayed because of the pandemic, but on April 1st, it was done!

You have to count 100 days from the actual day of the stem cell transplant in order to know if the chemo and stem cells did their job. In my case, results were somewhat disappointing.

I had a five-month consolidation treatment with lenalidomide and dexamethasone which helped lower my peak a bit more. Then I continued with a lenalidomide maintenance therapy for approximately 2.5 years, with Grastofil injections when my neutrophils were really too low. 

Even if the myeloma peak didn’t disappear completely, I try to make the most of each day because...

life is now.

I am so grateful to my family and friends for being present, each in their own way: a real treasure bringing me such comfort!  

I got back to rowing and skiing, traveling, and also became a caregiver for my mom who, in the fall of 2021, suffered a stroke which greatly impacted her autonomy.

Since I love to cook, I entertain a lot, especially on my terrace because I am immunocompromised. Beautiful multi-generational meal gatherings are good for me. 

Over the months, I continued asking questions to my care team, reading about myeloma, sharing with other patients, and participating at meetings and webinars.