I know I’ve already published a post today, and I don’t normally “do” two posts in one day, but I’m sitting at my desk, in front of my computer, with my male cat Piccolo draped across my arms (making it difficult for me to type! He’s such a heavy boy!), very excited…and very emotional, too, after having watched one of the most amazing incredible fantastic TED Talks I have EVER seen. It’s less than 13 minutes…You HAVE TO WATCH THIS VIDEO!

I’m too overcome to say more than this: a team of Harvard researchers led by Jay Bradner has discovered a molecule, JQ1, that makes cancer cells become NORMAL cells. And this, my friends and family, INCLUDES MULTIPLE MYELOMA CELLS. Thus far the molecule has been tested in mice (wait until you see this with your own eyes), but human clinical trials are planned (I tried looking for this molecule on the Clinical Trial website, but I couldn’t find it…I will search some more when I get home from work tomorrow).

Tears of joy are running down my face…I’m sobbing, I’m actually sobbing, while my perplexed Piccolo is looking up at me and purring, concerned, Okay, I can hardly see. I’m sooo happy…Oh I just hope that big pharma won’t be able to stop this from happening…

Without further ado, here’s the link to one of the most promising things I’ve heard/read about since I began my journey with myeloma: http://goo.gl/CQiYk 

May the information no longer be a secret! Open source FOREVER!!! Thank you, Jay!!!!!!

UPDATE: A friend in the UK notified me just a little while ago (it’s 8:30 PM in Italy now) that the link didn’t work for him. I tried to access the video in different ways, even looking up Jay Bradner on the TED website, but no, nothing worked. I get taken to a “Page Not Found” on the TED website. I hope the problem is only temporary (perhaps too many people linked to the video, and the system crashed?)…Anyway, it is a problem on their end. Bummer! Has anyone else had the same trouble? Well, it’s getting late here in Florence…I have to get off the computer now. Hope it’s up and in proper working order by the time I get up tomorrow morning, before I take off for work. Anyway, I’m on this story like a dog with a steak bone. So exciting…And yes, I’ve already written to Dr. Bradner… 🙂

UPDATE OF THE UPDATE!!! Okay, thanks to Mary, you can view it here: http://goo.gl/p3Qem Until TED gets it up again, this will have to do…

This morning, after reading an interesting New York Times article  (thanks, DB!), I began writing another one of my yawnzzzzzzzz lengthy boring yawnzzzzzzzz posts, but at one point I decided to stop writing and let the NY Times article speak for itself. I mean, why should I always stick my inquisitive little nose into things…why do I always have an opinion about everything…why can’t I just shut up for once? 😉 So today I’m shutting up. Hey, y’all, this might be a historic moment! 😉 Okay, seriously now…Basically, the article, written by a medical doctor, is about patients who might have been saved by doing…absolutely nothing: http://goo.gl/BDRgk Of course, thoughts of MGUS, SMM and early intervention strategies (AGGGH) came to mind…

When I’d finished reading the article, I scrolled down the page to read some of the comments. I love comments (hint hint). 

And, right above that section, my eye (= the left one, to be precise…my right one was a tad distracted…) fell on a link to a Previous Post titled The Doctor’s Remedy: Turmeric for Joint Pain. Here it is: http://goo.gl/eHjzN

Now, even though, ONCE AGAIN SIGH!, no distinction is made between TURMERIC THE SPICE and CURCUMIN THE ACTIVE INGREDIENT (!!!), the “Previous Post” is still quite interesting…especially if you suffer from joint pain, as I used to…not anymore, of course. With all the curcumin I take daily, it’s a wonder I haven’t started sprouting a mass of turmeric roots from every pore…

One last thing. As I was writing my above-mentioned lengthy comments, I was reminded of Prof. Stephen Jay Gould’s excellent essay, “The median isn’t the message,” which everyone, especially patients with cancer, any type of cancer, should read. Verrrrry interesting, especially if you’ve always wondered about that 5-year average (now upgraded to 7 years, I’ve read…) survival statistic for MM patients…I’ve linked to this essay in previous posts, and here it is…again: http://goo.gl/kOgKA He’s soooo right! And I’m with him on those doughnuts… 😉

Enjoy! Oh, wait, let me make at least one comment…

JUST KIDDING! 🙂 (I mean, just kidding about making at least one comment…)