Beth Sommer

In August 2017, I was diagnosed with a plasmacytoma tumor on my sternum. Radiation treatment soon followed, and I thought that I would be in the clear once the treatment was done. In January 2018, I was given a PET scan to verify that the radiation had worked. It did work on the sternum, but multiple myeloma tumors were found throughout my body including femurs and ribs. Multiple myeloma is a cancer that affects plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in the bone marrow. With this condition, a group of plasma cells becomes cancerous and multiplies. The disease can damage the bones, immune system, kidneys, and red blood cell count.  Multiple Myeloma is not curable. Treatment includes chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation.  During the spring and summer of 2018, I started chemotherapy and prepared for a StemCell transplant that took place in August 2018. I stayed at UCSF Hospital for two weeks for the Stem Cell transplant and then remained in isolation at home for one month due to my immune system having been fully wiped out. For six months I had to remain vigilant in staying healthy and away from large crowds. I slowly regained some energy, but the transplant really depleted my energy levels. Just as I was getting hopeful to increase my stamina, I had to have my gallbladder removed in August 2019. I remained in the hospital for one week and continued to have a very long recovery over the next year.  


Following my Stem Cell transplant, I started taking a drug called Revlimid, an immune-modulating therapy and will continue to take it for the rest of my life. Revlimid stimulates the immune system to recognize and destroy myeloma cells and it helps prevent new myeloma cell growth by starving them of blood. While Revlimid is effective, it is typical for multiple myeloma patients to see a recurrence of tumor growth beginning at the five-year mark following a Stem Cell transplant. I am at that five-year point and a tumor was found during my PET scan in June 2023, on the eighth rib attached to my spine. Treatment for a solitary tumor is radiation like I started with back in 2017. I will follow-up with a PET scan in few months to view the results.


Through this entire journey, I have relied on God's Word and prayer to carry me through. Though tears and sorrow have wrenched through me, the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit have also filled me and restored me to live a life that is focused on glorifying our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that you will know God's peace, mercy and grace as well!