WOW! Blog reader Kim informed me this morning that my blog has made SECOND PLACE on the list of the top ten myeloma blogs she compiled for Cure Talk, see http://goo.gl/96Yfq. I’m reallllllllly blown away. Thank you so much!!! 🙂
Hey, where’s my medal? Uhm, don’t I at least get a free lunch or something? How about breakfast? 😉
Seriously now, if I had a medal, I’d mail it off to Beth, who was THE VERY FIRST blogger in the myeloma universe (well, as far as I know), see http://www.myelomablog.com/…She’s a true pioneer and such an inspiration to all of us MM, SMM and MGUS folks. She has done and still does a lot of work for the myeloma community–fundraising, emotional and practical support and so on…mostly behind the scenes, without publicizing it. She’s also a very busy woman (like me, she has a day job and many other commitments…)…
On a personal level. As some of you know, back in 2007 Beth relentlessly dogged me to begin blogging about my experience with curcumin. I kept saying no, and she kept insisting, in her own sweet gentle way. I finally gave in…And today I can safely say that, without Beth, I probably wouldn’t have done any research on other non-toxic possible treatments for myeloma. Sure, I would have kept taking curcumin, but that’s about IT…Hmmm, now that’s a super scary thought, especially since I might never have learned about the importance of vitamin D etc etc etc.
I owe a lot to my friend Beth. My life without this blog would have been incredibly different. Not in a good sense, either. Okay, I would undoubtedly have had MUCH more free time but…
Testing different non-toxic substances on myself AND writing/doing research for my blog has given me a huge purpose in life. HUGE! I’ve learned so much in the past four years–how to read virtually-impossible-to-comprehend scientific and medical studies, just to mention one thing. And I have also “met” so many fantastic people. Indeed, the readers I’ve actually met have become friends in real life, too…Sherlock, Paul, Diane…etc.
I cannot imagine life without my blog now…or even life without our growing MM, SMM and MGUS support group on Facebook (again, this group was Beth’s idea…I’m merely the, er, creator)…as much as I dislike Facebook, especially after watching “The Social Network”…ugggggggh!
Speaking of Facebook, I recently became a co-administrator of “Gammopatia Monoclonale MGUS,” an Italian group there, which is a huge honour for me…Besides, it’s fun to talk about myeloma-related matters in two languages. 🙂
And my blog has its very own Facebook page, which I try to keep updated (and FUN whenever possible, of course!).
Last but not least, I’m also a co-administrator of the MM Support patient listserv (have been for years, now, but this is the first time I’ve said so publicly). I don’t do much, truth be told, since I don’t have many (read: any!!!) technical abilities, but I’m there if I’m needed…
It’s a busy life…
Now, Kim, about that free lunch… 😉
Hi Margaret,
Apart from making all the unintelligible research readable, and becoming THE one-stop site for anything you need to know about MM & natural medicines, you have made LOTS of friends and admirers as a result.
I think you should be #1.
Paul
I agree with Paul – to my mind you are #1! We can never thank you enough for wading through all that research and presenting it in understandable language. I have learned so much from you , info which is life saving (or at least life enhancing). And I love your wonderful sense
of humor, too, which has brightened many a day. I now am so grateful to my friend in Florence. You deserve a medal!
I have always felt very fortunate to have come across your blog in the early days of my diagnosis. You have allowed me and so many other MMérs access to important medical information that otherwise we might never have read. You have become an international reference and I want to thank you for your efforts and wit when it comes to MM. ¡BRAVO Margaret!
You are #1 for me too, Margaret. So many useful informations and such a good humour. I’m addicted to your blog. Thank you, Marica
Thank you so much Margaret for all you do for MMers. I have followed you since being diagnosed over two years ago and your articles have been invaluable to me. My knowledge of this disease would be so much poorer without all the information you give us, which must take a huge amount of time in background work. Yours is the first site I look at every day. Very many thanks for all you do.
PS. Do you have any information on Aloe arborescens?
Concordo pienamente con tutti, Margaret tu sei la numero 1 !!!!. Per tutti che come te siamo stati Dx SMM, per quelli MGUS e anche per tutti MM, sei una fonte costante di informazioni e buoni consigli.
I look youw great blog regularly, and with the analysis of many studies, it gives me the positive feeling that I can do something for my health…. (and the first thing I heard from my doctor was: You can do nothing)
Hans
Non posso che concordare con tutti gli amici che ti decretano la no. 1 !
Il tuo blog è stato un raggio di speranza e positività quando tutto sembrava buio e privo di prospettiva.
Grazie per tutte le informazioni di cui instancabilmente ci rendi partecipi! Moira
Margaret, nelle parole di chi mi ha preceduto nel lasciare commenti, ho ritrovato proprio quello che penso anch’io; tutti noi siamo concordi nel considerarti un punto di riferimento sia per la malattia ed i risultati delle tue ricerche che condividi con noi, sia per il tuo modo positivo ed allegro di vivere la vita.
Tutto questo testimonia che tu sei una donna veramente speciale! Un sentito grazie anche da parte mia.
un abbraccio
Doriana
It’s been great getting to know you and your blog Margaret! You have quite a loyal fan base 🙂 We are actually going to create badges soon! Next time I am in Italy tho, breakfast will be on me…promise 🙂 There is actually something we can offer you to put on your site, I’ll send em along to you soon.
Cheers!!
Kim