Spotlight on Bob McCaw:
Each Day Is a Gift
I’m originally from a little town in South Porcupine, Ontario and moved to the Newmarket area in 1983. I was a true Canadian lad who fell in love watching hockey and hanging around airplanes at an early age. Aviation became a huge part of my life and I spent a lot of it in Northern Canada at and above the tree line in Northern Ontario, Northern Quebec and Nunavut. 
In 2006, almost 14 years ago, I started having a lot of pain in my right hip. I just assumed that I had pulled a muscle as I was a jogger in those days. About a month later, the pain had not improved so I went to my family doctor. He too felt that it was probably muscular however to be on the safe side, he suggested we x-ray the hip. I had a follow-up appointment with him one week later. When I went into his office, I was expecting to hear a muscular diagnosis and nothing else. You can appreciate the shock of being told that there was a strong suspicion of Cancer, and in particular, of Multiple Myeloma! The only word that you hear of course is the C word. To his credit, my doctor immediately arranged for a consult with an oncologist which occurred in less than a week. 
The oncologist ordered a bone marrow biopsy and specialized bloodwork. My diagnosis was confirmed. A lot of things ran through my mind: what did the diagnosis mean, what was Multiple Myeloma, what would my outcome be, what treatments were available…?
I remember that in that first meeting with my oncologist, I was told the prognosis norm for myeloma patients was 3 to 5 years. Not long ago, I reminded her that we had that conversation over 13 years ago!
My treatments over the years have included radiation to help with the bone pain and a tandem autologous stem cell transplant in 2008. The stem cell transplant was followed
by one year of maintenance therapy with thalidomide and pamidronate which, I’m happy to say, put me into remission from 2009 until 2017. 

In 2017, unfortunately my numbers started to rise again, and I was having rib fractures and compression fractures. My oncologists in Newmarket consulted with the transplant doctors at Princess Margaret and together, they determined I was a good candidate for
a 3 rd stem cell transplant. The procedure was done in 2018. Since then, I have been on
a maintenance regime consisting of Revlimid, dexamethasone and Zometa. Recently, daratumumab was approved and added to my treatment . I’m thrilled to say that my blood work continues to be where we want it to be!

Most of the treatments I have been on were very tough. The transplants are no walk in
the park but you do get better and I was soon able to do the things I enjoyed before my diagnosis. Jogging of course is no longer an option, but I do a lot of walking and have
an elliptical machine too. Managing side effects can be a challenge. The chemo and transplants are intense, but you do see improvement each day and that of course
is encouraging and makes you feel better. The compression fractures have been treated by Kyphoplasty. The current dara/Rev/dex treatment is going well. The Dara is administered intravenously at The Southlake Cancer Centre and takes about 5 hours,
so that can be tiring. And anyone that is on Dex knows all too well that sleeping on
‘dex days’ is a challenge. On ‘non-dex days’, well, there’s a nap for that!
Ontario Advocacy Committee
I should tell you that quite early in my diagnosis I was told about the Toronto District Multiple Myeloma Patient Support Group and have since been an active committee member of their executive for many years. In addition, I’m involved as a volunteer with Myeloma Canada and am a member of the Ontario Advocacy Committee. Just this month, I participated at Myeloma Canada’s 12 th Annual Support Group Leaders Summit in Quebec City and also presented my story to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) Patient Summit in Toronto.
Over the years, I have met so many patients across Canada on the same journey as mine. I find helping newly diagnosed patients as they begin their treatments very rewarding, so I do what I can. 
I am enjoying my life and consider each day a gift. I stay busy with things that I love, like watching hockey, and I have a part-time job delivering and picking up cars throughout Ontario.

Patients and caregivers, I would encourage you to learn all you can about myeloma. Get involved with a patient support group and with advocacy...research and advocacy are so important to us! Three of the medications that I am on now were not even available when my journey started.
We live in a time where new drugs and a better understanding of the disease are allowing us to live longer. So, when research gives us new treatment options that are awaiting coverage, write letters to your provincial government asking for their support.
Let them know why access to these new therapies is important to you. These letters are vital to our myeloma community. Dara is a perfect example of what can happen when we make our voices heard.
Whenever you can, do the things that you like doing, that make you happy (all within reason of course!). 

Be involved...enjoy life!
Bob McCaw
Check out the video of Bob’s Journey on the
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