🌀 Mood: Overwhelmingly grateful, joyful, hopeful, and faith-filled.

There are moments in this cancer journey that I will never forget.

The day I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

The day my doctor told me that a stem cell transplant was necessary for me to survive.

The day I received my stem cells back.

And now, another day I will never forget.

The day I learned I was MRD negative.

Two little words that carry an extraordinary amount of meaning.

When I was first diagnosed, approximately 80% of my bone marrow was filled with cancerous plasma cells. My disease was aggressive, my kidneys had suffered significant damage, and cancer had already caused fractures in my spine.

After six months of chemotherapy and an autologous stem cell transplant in March, I had been waiting to learn just how well my body had responded to treatment.

In June, my PET scan showed no evidence of metabolically active myeloma. That was wonderful news.

But there was another test that could look even deeper.

And when those results came back, I first saw them in my patient portal.

MRD NEGATIVE!

I knew what those words meant, but seeing them on my own test results was almost surreal.

At my next appointment, my oncologist confirmed the results and told me it was “the best result we could have hoped for.”

After everything I had been through, those words meant so much.

The cancer that had once occupied 80% of my bone marrow could no longer be detected by this highly sensitive test.

I had prayed for this moment.

And now it was here.

What exactly does MRD negative mean?

MRD stands for Minimal Residual Disease.

It’s a way for doctors to look for incredibly small numbers of cancer cells that may remain in the body after treatment, even when traditional tests can no longer detect them.

Think of it this way.

Imagine searching for one particular grain of sand among hundreds of thousands—or even a million—other grains.

That’s the kind of precision we’re talking about.

MRD testing for multiple myeloma is typically performed using a bone marrow sample. Doctors use highly sophisticated technology to search for tiny numbers of cancer cells that ordinary tests might miss.

Depending on the method used, MRD testing can detect as few as one cancer cell among 100,000 or even 1,000,000 normal cells.

When no cancer cells are found at the sensitivity level of the test, the result is considered MRD negative.

That’s extraordinary to me.

When I was diagnosed, my bone marrow was overwhelmed with cancer cells. Now, after everything my body had endured, this highly sensitive testing could no longer detect them in the sample examined.

My result was MRD negative.

Why is being MRD negative such a big deal?

Because it tells doctors something incredibly important about how deeply the cancer has responded to treatment.

For people living with multiple myeloma, achieving MRD negativity is one of the most encouraging treatment milestones.

Research has shown that patients who achieve MRD negativity, as a group, tend to experience longer periods without their disease progressing and better overall outcomes.

It isn’t a guarantee of what will happen next.

But it is a powerful indication that treatment has worked remarkably well.

And given how advanced and aggressive my disease was at diagnosis, receiving this news was especially meaningful.

I remember when the goal was simply to get my cancer under control.

Then the goal became getting through chemotherapy.

Then surviving the stem cell transplant.

Then recovering.

And now, here I was, hearing that the disease could no longer be detected by this incredibly sensitive test.

It’s difficult to put into words what that felt like.

Does this mean I’m cured?

This is probably the most important question.

No. MRD negative does not mean cured.

Multiple myeloma is generally considered an incurable but treatable blood cancer. Even with an MRD-negative result, cancer cells could remain below the test’s detection limit or elsewhere in the body.

That is why ongoing monitoring and maintenance treatment remain so important.

I’ll continue having regular bloodwork, appointments with my oncology team, and treatment designed to help keep the disease under control.

My immune system is also still recovering from the transplant, a process that can take a year or longer.

So while this result is absolutely worth celebrating, it doesn’t mean the journey is over.

There is still treatment ahead.

There is still healing ahead.

And there will still be moments of uncertainty.

But today, I am choosing to celebrate what this result means.

The answer I had been praying for

Throughout this journey, I have prayed for healing.

Not just for the strength to endure treatment or the courage to face another difficult day.

I prayed that God would heal my body.

And I believed He could.

I didn’t know exactly what that healing would look like or how the journey would unfold. There were moments when I was exhausted, afraid, and overwhelmed by everything happening to me.

But through it all, I kept holding on to my faith.

When I learned I was MRD negative, my heart was filled with gratitude.

Gratitude for the extraordinary medical team whose knowledge and dedication helped bring me to this point.

Gratitude for the treatments and medical advances that made this result possible.

Gratitude for everyone who prayed for me, encouraged me, and walked alongside me.

And above all, gratitude to God.

I know that being MRD negative doesn’t mean I can close the book on multiple myeloma.

But it does mean that today, I have something extraordinary to celebrate.

One year ago, 80% of my bone marrow was filled with cancer cells.

Today, those cells are undetectable at the level measured by my MRD test.

From 80% to undetectable.

I still have a long road ahead of me. There will be more appointments, more treatments, more blood tests, and more waiting.

But I am not going to let the uncertainty of tomorrow steal the joy of what God has allowed me to experience today.

Because this is a victory.

A remarkable, hard-fought, deeply meaningful victory.

And I am grateful beyond words.

My Anchor holds.

And through every season of this journey, I will keep trusting the One who holds me.