How Palliative Care Has Helped Debbie Who Lives with Multiple Myeloma
It’s been over 10 years since we recorded our first video with Debbie, and we are happy to report that she is doing well. In the summer of 2022, Debbie agreed to join us for another video to talk about how palliative care has helped her.
Debbie is a hairdresser, a business owner, and a proud mother and grandmother. She has been living with multiple myeloma (a type of blood cancer) for over 12 years. After she was diagnosed in 2012, her doctor asked if she wanted the support of a palliative care team. Since then, Debbie’s palliative care team has helped her manage pain and symptoms to improve her quality of life and help her stay active, whether working, walking, or dancing in her living room.
As she shared in her latest video, “Palliative care has been magnificent as far as I’m concerned. Like I said, they put me back in the driver’s seat.”
What is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. This type of care focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a specially trained team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.
How Can I Learn More?
If you would like to learn more about how palliative care can help someone living with multiple myeloma, click here. Or, to find out how you or a loved one can benefit from palliative care, take a short quiz.
To hear more about how palliative care has helped Debbie, click here.
About GetPalliativeCare.Org
GetPalliativeCare.Org is an online resource for patients and families that focuses solely on providing information on palliative care from the point of diagnosis. At GetPalliativeCare.org you can take a short quiz to see whether you could benefit from palliative care, and find a nearby provider. The site is provided by the Center to Advance Palliative Care.
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