Terry Purdom, a multiple myeloma patient for 14 years, describes receiving aggressive treatment including stem cell transplant at The Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders. He credits the caring staff and calls the clinic a refuge, now reaching out to newly diagnosed patients to offer hope.
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Well, when I first started coming here, they were very aggressive with their treatment, and it didn't take long for them to find my multiple myeloma, start the treatment, and then get me in for a stem cell transplant. And this all happened in about three months. I felt like I was in good hands. You know, I felt like the doctors and the nurses and the staff here truly cared about me. And that makes a big difference when they treat you like family. When I look back on this, it really wasn't much of a challenge because I was taking such good care of it's family. It really is. It's kind of my home away from home. I referred to this as my refuge. You know, I come here. I used to come here real regular every Wednesday, just to sit in this building and absorb the hope, the peace of mind, and to see how upbeat these people are here. And I'm talking about cancer patients. I wanted people that have been diagnosed newly with multiple myeloma to see me, to see somebody that's been living with it for 14 years. It takes a load off their mind. And this clinic in the past, and I've given them permission to share my phone number or whatever with patients that have been diagnosed with multiple myeloma. And over the years, they've reached out to me, and I will come down here and they will see me sitting there after 10 years, 14 years, and you can't imagine the difference it makes. See, I whipped cancer a long time ago because I'm in control, and I didn't let cancer control me, and that's a big deal.
