Click on the photos to read inspiring stories from some of our members.
The BC Support Group: Supporting One Another in So Many Ways
Our group started over fifty years ago! Well, not really, but... In 1966 I met Betty McPhee in Vancouver. Three years later she was married and living in Philadelphia. I was working on a medical team in West Africa. It was over forty years later when we met by accident [...]
The Québec Support Group: The Sharing of Difficulties and Successes
A History of the Québec Support Group By Danielle Gagnon, Montreal Support Group co-leader and caregiver We first heard of Waldenstrom’s when my husband, Robert Perrault, was diagnosed in August 2019. It is always a shock when you hear the word cancer. We started looking on the web [...]
Murray Shaw: Cancer is my Hobby
As Murray tells it, his WM "is fascinating, time-consuming and important to me, but, like all hobbies, should not become an obsession".
Stu Boland: A Positive Attitude and a Healthy Lifestyle
Stu relates his 18-year-and-counting journey with WM, and concludes: "Nothing is going to get in my way of striking things off my 'bucket list'".
Finding courage and calm in the face of cancer’s uncertainty
As we know, every WMer is unique. Equally unique is the impact the disease has on their family and loved ones. In September, 2022, Maclean's published this look at two WM diagnoses, and the impact on their families. See https://www.macleans.ca/longforms/finding-courage-and-calm/.
Raffaela Mercurio: Choose Hope!!
Raffela urges us to Choose Hope, and reminds us that we can each make a difference.
Betty McPhee: Providing Hope by Telling My Story
"I was at work when my doctor called me on my cell phone. I teach Deaf students, and I normally wouldn't answer the phone at school, but I happened to be on a spare. She told me that she thought I had Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia which is a rare blood [...]
Carol Joy Patterson: Spirit of Hope
Learning from a life "punctuated by a cascade of medical events", Carol advises that it is important to be a partner with your doctor. "It's not just about finding the right medicine; it's also about sustaining positive attitudes", she writes.
Michael Knowlton: Videos of Inspiration, Videos of Truth
An update from Michael Knowlton. He has recently (Dec., 2021) published two new videos: You Can't Have the Highs Without the Lows, and Navigating The Journey Of Illness. Check out his entire series, documenting his journey with WM, his sources of inspiration, and the truths he lives with: "We [...]
Lucie Martineau: Journey to Stem Cell Transplant
After her difficult journey through and beyond a stem cell transplant, Lucie writes "one must sustain belief in oneself ... the body and the mind make up a wonderful machine ... listening to them can be most instructive".
