Michael Jones Mike Jones Myeloma fight

If you are visiting this page you are probably aware that I have been recently diagnosed with cancer. I have Multiple Myeloma which is a somewhat rare blood cancer, specifically of plasma cells in my bone marrow. Unfortunately there is no cure, but there are many treatments out there that have good response rates (10 new drugs FDA approved in 2015 alone). I started my chemotherapy shots on 3/7/16 and two other oral drugs that are currently the gold standard of treatment. They plan to run this course of chemo for four cycles. A cycle consists of 4 shots (Monday, Thursday, Monday, Thursday and 21 days of a chemo pill. Unfortunatley, where I thought I got a break period there isn't one until the end. At the end of this regiment (mid May 2016), they will run more testing on my bone marrow and blood. If I have achieved a 90% response (improvement) in the bad cell counts VCU (Massey) cancer center will schedule me for a bone marrow transplant. Post transplant I will be in the hospital for 3 weeks solid, then 3 weeks at a nearby outpatient room and board, then released home after they are comfortable with numbers and recovery. The total estimated time that the entire transplant process takes (if all goes well) is 100 days – just over three months. During this time I will be absent from work due to being highly susceptible to viruses and infections.