Barbara Warren Barbara Warren

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.  Feeling no symptoms, a routine blood test revealed elevated abnormal immunoglobulins in November 2016. Further tests in early December confirmed a diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma. Although, caught at an early stage, it required immediate treatment. After beginning immunosuppressive therapy in January, she came down with severe pneumonia which required hospitalization. While hospitalized, an abscess was discovered on her colon which required emergency surgery. She was hospitalized for 21 days. After recovering from this set back, she resumed immunosuppressive therapy which required multiple injections per week along with oral medications. She continued this treatment until mid-June. She now enters the next phase of treatment, an autologous stem cell bone marrow transplant scheduled for June 29th and 30th.  Prior to this on June 20th, she will have her own stem cells harvested by a procedure called apheresis.  These stem cells will be re-infused into her body after her cancer cells/bone marrow/immune system are eliminated with chemotherapy.  Barb and Lon will then be living in an apartment close to The Duke Adult Bone Marrow Transplant clinic for 14-21 days waiting for her immune system to recover enough to allow her to return home. Full recovery of her immune system may take up to one year. Barb has championed through all of this with high spirits and looks forward to feeling fabulous at Jess and Sam's wedding in October!