DETROIT (WXYZ) — Over 200 people participated in the annual Team for Cures 5K event at Willow Metro Park in New Boston to support patients fighting multiple myeloma and help create awareness about the rare type of blood cancer that develops in the bone marrow.
"I came last in the 5k today. I don't care. I finished. That's the important thing," said Hal Anderson.
80-year-old Hal Anderson was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1998. That's after he retired from the Navy as a submarine commander for the USS Shark, serving his country for 31 years.
"My life in the Navy, the discipline there, I think, for one thing gave me resilience, which is what you need to have to survive this sort of thing. I was in a lot of pain from the fractures in my spine, I wore a brace for 10 months. My wife would say what can I do for you? Because I was in so much of pain... I would say just shoot me," said Anderson.
Bone pain and fractures are the most common symptoms, along with fatigue, bruising, frequent infections, and kidney damage.
Anderson said, "I used to be 6 feet tall. Now, I'm 5' 5"."
According to Yale Medicine, approximately 34,000 new cases of multiple myeloma are diagnosed annually in the US. Hal's doctor, Dr. Jeffrey Zonder, says multiple myeloma accounts for about 1 to 2% of all cancers diagnosed.
"Usual age of diagnosis is around 70. Men are affected a little bit more than women. And the African American community is particularly affected by this... the risk of developing myeloma is twice as high. We don't know, but it seems to be true all over the world. So there probably is some genetic disposition," said Dr. Zonder, Professor of Oncology at Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University School of Medicine.
Unfortunately, Dr. Matthew Pianko, a professor of internal medicine in the division of hematology and oncology at the University of Michigan Medical School's Rogel Cancer Center, says there is no cure or screening process for the chronic condition. Hence, another reason not to skip routine physical exams.
"Since the early 2000s, there has been remarkable development in drugs that are now available to treat multiple myeloma. Before 1999-2000, the average survival times were roughly 2 or 3 years, but at least with current drugs, we expect patients to live at least 10 years," said Dr. Pianko.
Meanwhile, after eight cycles of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, the Detroit veteran manages the disease with a combination of drugs, inspiring others not to give up the fight.
"I didn't quit. If you don't quit. You keep fighting. What's next? This isn't working. What do I need to do next? Get expert advice. And go from there," said Anderson.
For more information on the disease and to donate to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, visit www.themmrf.org.
