Guidance for Myeloma Patients and Caregivers with Debra Berenson Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research TRANSCRIPT
Download PDFJun 25, 2026
Debra Berenson is Chair of the Fundraising Committee at the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research and author of two books- I Have WHAT and You Have WHAT, based on her personal experience and the expertise of her husband, Dr. Jim Berenson, a myeloma expert. Multiple myeloma and related bone cancers are increasingly common, and her books are designed to help patients and caregivers understand the diagnosis and treatment options. Debra emphasizes that treatments have advanced significantly, leading to much longer, higher-quality lives for patients and transforming these diseases into chronic, manageable conditions.
Debra explains, "I thought, "If I had this disease, what would I do?" And I used to be a reporter, so that's how I told my husband I wanted to write these books - like interviews. I wanted to interview different patients with these diseases. I wanted to get the real stories out there of what it was really like having one of these diseases - the good, bad, and the ugly of dealing with all of them, and what helped these patients and what didn't help them."
"I also thought it would be cathartic for the patient who could share their journey, and also helpful for the new patient. That's the first part of the book - interviews with the different patients who have the four different diseases that Jim treats. The second part of the book is made up of the medical professionals who treat these diseases. I interviewed Jim about myeloma and its related diseases and asked him to weigh in with his medical opinions in a general sense. So complications do arise as we discussed earlier. I interviewed a cardiologist targeting amyloidosis, and there's a periodontist talking about osteonecrosis of the jaw, which means part of the jaw dies. And so you have to have a special periodontist who knows how to replace a tooth or take a tooth out. Dental health is so important. So, that's the second part of the book. And I learned so much going out with these medical professionals who treat the complications."
#IMBCR #MultipleMyeloma #MGUS #Waldenstroms #Amyloidosis #Hematology #Oncology #BerensonCancerCenter #sBCMA #ClinicalResearch #PatientCare #LiveBetterLiveLonger
