In March 2020, I met with my family doctor, and did my annual blood tests. The results were normal, and my doctor thought the decline in my stamina might be linked to andropause. By July 15, 2020, I was no longer able to do activities with my friends, and the least amount of effort caused a pain in my chest. I decided to call my doctor and let him know that my physical abilities had significantly decreased, that I had pain in my chest, and that my energy level was at its lowest. 

From that point onward, my doctor accelerated the process to try and get to the root of the problem. I’ll spare you the details, but to sum it up, my doctor ordered several tests, including an MRI of my heart, a stress test, a bone marrow biopsy, and a complete blood work up. Months passed and on December 22, 2020, sitting in hematologist/ oncologist Dr St-Hilaire’s office with my wife, I found out I had multiple myeloma.

When we got home from our meeting with Dr St-Hilaire, my wife Lise and I shared the news with our daughters, family and friends, who have all been an invaluable source of support. We came up with an action plan of our own. We were already eating healthy but nonetheless made some changes to our diet. We created a training plan based on my abilities, a relaxation plan, and reviewed our upcoming projects and activities.

During this time, I did a lot of reading and research, largely on the Myeloma Canada website, to better understand my diagnosis. I contacted the New Brunswick Support Group (special thank you to Shawn Crossman). Lise and I participated in a group meeting which enabled us to learn more about myeloma, and to meet people who shared their stories and experiences with bone marrow transplants.

It was not long after that I watched a documentary on Mount Everest. I drew many parallels between my health challenges and climbing Everest, the highest peak in the world, with an elevation of 8,849 metres. For me, to reach the summit is to get better, to beat this disease. Like climbing Everest, there are many steps and challenges at every stage, each of which takes tremendous effort.

It was then that I decided to create a foundation. I contacted three of my closest friends, and without a moment’s hesitation, the Fondation Myélome, 8849 M Inc was born.

The objective of the Fondation is to raise funds to help further myeloma research and find a treatment to cure this cancer. By nature, I’m a very committed and passionate person and this is reflected in everything I do. I’m very much a motivator, and with the support of my friends and the collaboration of Myeloma Canada, we created our first fundraising event, the Défi Everest Challenge which will be taking place on September 25, 2021, at Parc Rotary in Dieppe, New Brunswick. I would like to take this opportunity to extend a special thank you to Michelle Oana and Patricia Celestin [of Myeloma Canada] who, from the very beginning, provided us with amazing support to ensure the success of our event.

I completed 16 consecutive weeks of chemotherapy treatments, with mixed results. While the first 8 treatments worked and showed a decrease in cancer cells, the last 8 weeks did not. This means that the number of cancer cells in my body were on the cusp of still being too high for me to have a bone marrow transplant. This was of course disappointing, but out of my control. Dr St-Hilaire and Dr Comeau (hematologist-oncologists) decided to give me 8 more weeks of chemotherapy, which I have now completed. Once again, the first 4 treatments showed encouraging results while the last 4 did not. The good news is that on the whole, the number of my cancer cells have decreased enough for me to be eligible for a bone marrow transplant. At the time of writing this article, if all stays well, I should have my transplant around August 18, 2021. I’m staying optimistic and positive, and taking advantage to enjoy every day to its fullest!

Through this journey, I’ve learned to take the time to take the time, to live in the moment. I’ve realized that I am very resilient and have a high level of tolerance. I see the good in others. I still have short- and medium-term plans; they keep me going and feeling good. I already knew how closely knit my bond with my family and friends was. Having said that, when I shared the news of my diagnosis with them, I felt an indescribable wave of love like never before. For this, I am so grateful. My wife Lise has also been wonderful. I make sure to take the time and thank her because without her, this would all be incredibly difficult to go through; she means everything to me.