May 2024

Yolande Paine

My name is Yolande Paine and I was diagnosed with myeloma at age 58. 

In June 2012, while waiting to board a plane at Vancouver International Airport, I received a phone call that would forever change my life.  

The hematologist wanted to see me the next morning to perform a bone marrow biopsy for suspected multiple myeloma. I did get him to agree to wait until the following Monday and, in a daze, I boarded that plane to Montreal.

I don’t remember much about the flight. I was meeting my husband Bill, who was cycling across Canada, and also visiting my paternal uncles in Quebec. I got on the flight thinking that if I did not go, I may never see my uncles again. 

Then the plan was to head to our cottage on PEI, my happy place, for the summer. 

I retired in May 2011 after a long and rewarding career as Manager, Human Resources for TD Commercial Banking in B.C. A year after I retired, I met with my family doctor for my annual physical. My white blood cells and neutrophils were just below normal.

I trust my intuition and I had experienced more frequent colds and infections that year; unusual for me. He referred me to a general hematologist at Vancouver General Hospital. I waited four months for an appointment.

We were given the green light to go to PEI for the months of July and August 2012. Every night I went to bed terrified, but to combat our fear we decided to learn everything we could about the disease. Knowledge is power and with the support of Myeloma Canada and its resources we began to relax.  

I had lost my beloved father Eugene to CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia), a blood cancer which is a cousin to myeloma, a few years before. My father lived a full and happy life for almost 14 years after his diagnosis. He was my role model for living well with a difficult diagnosis. He was an inspiration to me and my family and he remains a true hero of mine.

Watching how my father dealt with his disease helped me cope

with my own diagnosis, to try and live my life with purpose, and 

without focusing too much on the future.

When I was first diagnosed with myeloma 12 years ago,

I could not have imagined being here today and thankfully in a period of deep remission, let alone enjoying such a full and active lifestyle. 

For four years following my diagnosis we monitored my myeloma as my M-spike continued to climb. Eventually, after induction therapy, I had an autologous stem cell transplant in October 2016. 

The more than four years between my diagnosis and my transplant gave me time to prepare. I decided to approach my stem cell transplant like a work project. I knew that I needed to be very well prepared both physically and mentally in order to get through it, and to give myself the best chance for a full recovery. I knew that it would be important to continue to eat three times a day even if I didn’t feel like it, and to drink lots of fluids. I would have to walk every day. 

And, oh yes, I thought, binge watching Netflix might just get me through this thing!

An emotional hug with nurse Julie

who handled the nursing side of my

stem cell transplant in 2016.

The transplant went well.

I recovered quickly, and achieved a better than 93 percent response, a VGPR.

Six months later, it was time to decide on some type of maintenance treatment to keep my myeloma at bay.

For me, it is important to be a student of my disease so that I am able to make informed decisions in collaboration with my medical team.

I did my own research, assisted by Bill, to educate myself on my options, based on my own medical history and my desire to continue an active life. I began Ninlaro in May of 2017. 

I relapsed 2 ½ years later and was given the option of a second transplant or the triplet of Daratumumab, Revlimid and Dexamethasone. I chose the latter and started that regimen in September 2019 and today I continue to be in complete remission. 

Through Myeloma Canada's advocacy work,

Daratumumab was thankfully approved

and funded here in BC in April 2019.

This year, Bill and I have another active year of travel planned including a 12 day hike starting in late August, together with close friends, circumnavigating Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain (the trail passes through France, Italy and Switzerland). And, of course, we’ll spend a long summer once again on Prince Edward Island - our happy place! 

It is such a privilege to be able to have these plans and to enjoy such a fulfilling and active life 12 years after my diagnosis.

I have the care of an incredible medical team, the support of a great husband and so many close friends, and certainly a measure of good fortune, which have enabled me to achieve the health and excellent quality of life that I continue to enjoy.

Me and Bill hiking at Lake O’Hara

in the Rockies in the summer of 2020.

There are so many people I am thankful for, but it is my husband Bill who has been by my side every step of the way. I would never have made it through without the support of my family and friends.

Through my involvement with Myeloma Canada, as both a peer support worker and 

co-leader of the Vancouver Myeloma Support Group, I have made great friends on this journey, especially my special friend Helene Lalonde, the other members of the Vancouver Myeloma Support Group and my wonderful friend Megan Gardiner, leader of the PEI Myeloma Support Group. We uplift each other continuously. And I am grateful to Martine Elias, CEO of Myeloma Canada, for all her advice and support over the years.  

Best, 

Yolande

Myeloma Canada's promise: To improve the lives and empower all Canadians affected by myeloma, accelerate access to the best care, while supporting the pursuit of its cure and prevention.

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