Like many others, I was shocked when I heard that Geraldine Ferraro died today. She was a key figure in the political world, but more than that, she was a beloved mother, involved teacher, lawyer, politician, and journalist. I hadn’t known she had been suffering from multiple myeloma for the past twelve years. Also, like many others, I Googled the disease to see exactly what it is.
Multiple myeloma is an incurable blood cancer. Specifically, it is cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow.
In multiple myeloma, plasma cells grow out of control in the bone marrow and form tumors in the areas of solid bone. The growth of these bone tumors makes it harder for the bone marrow to make red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. This causes anemia, which makes a person more likely to get infections and have abnormal bleeding. As the cancer cells grow in the bone marrow, they can cause pain and destruction of the bones. If the bones in the spine are affected, it can put pressure on the nerves, resulting in numbness or paralysis........
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