International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation
Sharing your story with us is a fantastic way for you to help others who are traveling down the same path that you are — whether you are a patient, caregiver, or family member— we would love to hear from you.
Patients and others who visit our website often tell us that one of their favorite features of our communications are the stories of the lives of people who are affected by WM. We would very much enjoy learning about you, your story, and how your experiences can motivate, help and inspire others we serve.
We invite you to read, enjoy, and learn from the following first-person stories by patients and caregivers, worldwide, affected by WM.
If you are interested in sharing your story with us so that we may share it with others on our website, please submit your contact details.
Story of Hope Update: Navigating Loss, Embracing New Beginnings It’s been five years since I wrote about my Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) journey, a story that began with my diagnosis in 2003. I could not have imagined, when I wrote in...
The Long Run: Navigating Uncertainty One Mile at a Time My name is Cathy Zimmerman, and I am a new IWMF Support Group Co-Leader for the Colorado/Wyoming (CO/WY) area. I often condense my medical history into a WM elevator pitch: “I was...
Bob and Carol: Resilience in the Rockies Telltale Signs It started on a cold December night. I noticed my wife had opened a window next to our bed to allow some cool air to circulate. But it was below zero outside. I was cold and couldn’t...
Kelly’s Journey: Finding Strength with Healthy Habits My name is Kelly Salus, and I am two years into my Waldenstrom's diagnosis. I am a mother of four as well as a first-grade teacher! I was 54 when I was diagnosed after pain in my neck from a...
Timothy Salz: Turning Diagnosis into Harmony A Birthday Gift I Didn't Ask For My Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM) story officially began in January of 2018, two days after my 70th birthday. Happy Birthday, Tim! Unofficially, I believe it...
Dana Green: Healing Powers of Paws-a-tive Companionship More Precious Than Money On December 5th of 2015, I resumed my annual, end-of-the-year search for my elusive toy poodle. On that frigid wintery night, the snow was a foot deep in our...
Finding Strength Beyond Treatment: My Ongoing Journey with Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia Stopping Rituximab and Facing COVID My last Story of Hope was published in September 2020. At that time, I was receiving rituximab maintenance therapy...
Our WM Journey by Betty Ann and Gregg Morton This story was shared in the September 2025 issue of IWMF's Wellness Newsletter: https://conta.cc/45Rjxtj To sign up for monthly Wellness Newsletters, click here. Betty Ann: Since I was diagnosed back in...
Living a Better Life with WM When I was diagnosed with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM), I was shocked. I remember sitting in the oncologist’s office and being told that it was either multiple myeloma (MM) or WM. This wasn’t my first...
Story of Hope Update: Ed's Third Act This is an update on Ed Kemp, a member of the IWMF community, whose original Story of Hope was published in 2015, and whom we last heard from in 2020. A special thanks to Ed's daughter, Bonnie, for sharing Ed's...
Pete's Extra Innings - Collaborative Care and Breakthrough Therapies Win the Game The IWMF Home Office recently checked in with Pete Skinner, a solar engineer, to see how he was doing since we had not heard from him in a while on our IWMF CONNECT...
Peter Haarmann: Sequel to Treatment, Healing and Faith Eight years have elapsed since my diagnosis and treatment for Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM). Today, I show no signs or symptoms of WM, so my status is considered “watch and wait.”...
From Chile- My Journey with WM: Living One Day at a Time with Faith and Hope Diagnosis: February 2014 Treatments I have had: 1) Year 2017-2018: BDR (8 cycles of Bortezomib (Velcade) + Rituximab + Dexamethasone. 2) Year 2022: B&R (6 courses of...
Peter DeNardis Story of Hope Update: There's Hope After All “Broken crayons still color.” – Toni Collier, author It’s been over 21 years now that I have been walking the cancer trail. I was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma (Waldenstrom’s...
Lisa Weldy: Resilient and Grateful It’s been five years since I wrote my story for IWMF. A lot has happened since then, but most importantly, my WM has remained stable, and I remain in a deep response, meaning that I have responded well to...
Tom White: Coming Full Circle Rituximab: How My Work Got Personal It all began in 1971 when, armed with a BS in Chemistry and an MBA, I began my career at Cutter Laboratories (soon to be acquired by the Bayer pharmaceutical company). At...
From Australia- David Rabie: My Story of Hope Hope is an optimistic expectation of a positive outcome for future events. Hope is more than a mere wish as hope implies a belief and confidence that positive outcomes will be attained. “Hope is a...
From Canada—Paul Kitchen's Familial WM Story Paul's mother, Mary Kitchen My story of hope began in the late 1970s when my mother, Mary Kitchen, was diagnosed with WM. Without any treatment available, her disease steadily progressed - terrible nose...
From Iceland - Gunnar Ármannsson: And the Adventure Continues The Big Repair Year 2019. I anticipated receiving chemotherapy later in the year, but that didn’t stop me from setting an ambitious running schedule–highlighted by a marathon in...
Ryan Scofield's Update: Young WMers Shared Challenges Life continues for me, with WM being low on my list of daily concerns. I have continued Ibrutinib with great success. No side effects and a disease that cowers in shame. Low IgM and normal...