Elephants and Tea - One Herd - 10

Our Voices
*
I'm a Black man living in a predominantly
White area.
* This partcular area is well-known for
prescription drug abuse, high addiction
rates, and overdoses.
* Every single doctor I saw-from my
PCPs to the specialists and ER docs
on call-was Caucasian.
So, how could they inherently know that
multiple myeloma is the #1 blood cancer
among Black Americans when they scarcely
treat any Black Americans?
But a cancer diagnosis is not the end of
my story. In fact, in many ways, it was just
the beginning.
As my journey continued, I found myself
in multiple conversations about the
statistics related to healthcare and People
of Color, and I was repeatedly shocked by
the barrage of disparities plaguing our
communities. MY Communities!
Fueled by my own delayed diagnosis
multiple myeloma even was! All I knew
was that it was in my bones, and it was
incurable-neither of these were positive
affirmations in any way, especially for
someone who already suffered from severe
scoliosis and debilitating back pain.
The road ahead was so uncertain, and
suddenly I had questions. I called my
doctor at the number on the card and was
shocked when he answered. With my voice
shaking, I hit him with a few questions,
but I don't recall feeling any kind of relief
at the end of that conversation.
When I met my Myeloma Specialist (the
first of now four, so far), he made a profound
statement that restored a sliver of
the hope I'd lost. He spoke very positively
about the growing number of pharmaceutical
companies addressing myeloma in
their research and the growing attention
this disease was getting.
While there was obviously still no cure,
the mission was to keep me alive long
enough for the science to catch up. He then
explained how far the research had come
and how many new lines of treatment had
been approved in just the past five years.
That information gave me a cautiously optimistic
but much-needed sense of peace.
10
ELEPHANTSANDTEA.ORG
ONE HERD ISSUE 2025
Still, I just wanted more time. But time
was steady moving, and treatment needed
to start immediately.
In February 2018, I dove headfirst into
a regimen of bortezomib, lenalidomide,
and dexamethasone-a straight-no-chaser
cocktail of medications aimed at keeping
the cancer under control.
Despite the challenges, I weathered the
many storms of treatment, and on June 21,
2018, I underwent an autologous stem cell
transplant. After several weeks in quarantine
following the transplant, I started
Revlimid and have continued taking a daily
dose of chemo to this day-six years later.
Today, my cancer is under control, but
I've never actually reached remission and
may never hear those words. The journey
has definitely left its mark-neuropathy,
shortness of breath, and bone pain serve
as constant reminders of the 24/7 battle
my body is fighting.
Stepping back and looking at the past
decade in hindsight, I firmly believe that
race and demographics played a big part
in my delayed diagnosis. I don't mean to
say that they were intentionally trying to
kill me or anything of that nature. But
facts are facts:
and repeated dismissal by my medical
team, I'm now on a mission to change the
narrative for others who look like me. In
2024, I launched the Health, Hope & HipHop
Foundation-a 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(2)
nonprofit dedicated to closing the disparity
gaps in healthcare and improving health
outcomes for Communities of Color.
Through education, advocacy, and the
powerful cultural juggernaut known as
hip-hop, I'm working to ensure that no
one suffers in silence, nor in stubbornness.
Our message is clear: it's time to act. As
I continue to fight tirelessly for change-at
the grassroots level, on our Foundation's
platforms, in the boardrooms, and on Capitol
Hill-one thing is certain, you can't
shut me down (or up, as you can hear in our
podcast, " Hip, Hope, Hooray! " , available
on all major platforms).
From my own personal battle with cancer
to my unwavering dedication to patient
advocacy, I'd like to think that I'm proof
that even in the face of adversity, hope always
prevails. l
http://www.ELEPHANTSANDTEA.ORG
Elephants and Tea - One Herd

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Elephants and Tea - One Herd
