My experience being diagnosed with multiple myeloma

Patient Jawanna describes her experience of recieving a diagnosis and treatment for multiple myeloma.

Transcript

00:00

I want to say between four and five times I went to the hospital before I actually was able to get help that I needed.

00:08

[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:14

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in February of 2020. I faced many barriers trying to find treatment.

00:21

The first hurdle was me just being diagnosed and getting an answer to what was going on. The two biggest factors for me not being taken seriously,

00:29

I believe, is my age and my race. I was in my 30s. A lot of times doctors will not test

00:35

for certain diseases or certain conditions because they might feel like I'm too young to have that particular condition or disease.

00:43

And just race, because I've seen how a lot of times African American people are not served as well as their counterparts

00:51

in the medical field. I've heard stories with my sister and with my friends.

00:57

It was one thing to go through pain physically, but it also-- it takes a big mental toll on you when you don't know

01:06

what's going on with you and you cannot get the answer that you need. [AUDIO LOGO]