LIKE a thief in the night, multiple myeloma – a rare form of cancer that affects the bone marrow – snuck up on Faith Hamer, forcing her to do battle with it.

But it is a battle that she appears to be winning as she presents a picture of good health and exudes positive vibes as she chats with the Sunday Observer about her life since cancer.

Hamer, 50, is programme manager for policy advocacy in the national HIV/STI programme. She was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2005 after falling ill at a conference in Ocho Rios. Now, almost two years later, she says her life has improved because of it, despite all the hurdles she still has to cross.

Chief among those hurdles is another round of treatment for her cancer, which is estimated to cost US$150,000.

“I have had a few down times, but I get through them. I will pray, tell the Lord how I am feeling and then bounce back. I really believe my quality of life has improved,” she told the Sunday Observer. “When you are facing a challenging situation, it is important that you are emotionally and mentally prepared to deal with it. The other thing that keeps me is that I know that God will not give me more than I can bear.”

She is currently in the United States to undergo a second course of treatment geared at preparing her for a peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT), which should restore her to perfect health. But her ability to cope with the transplant will depend on her test results.

The journey to this stage has been long, even as it has taught her a lot about herself and her trust in God.

She was initially put on the drugs thalidomide and dexamethasone, which only worked for a time.

“I went on that drug (thalidomide), combined with the dexamethasone. The thalidomide alone did not work for me because they (the doctors) were trying to ensure that the blood count is normal. And when they increased the dosage my heart started to race. So they reduced the drug and it didn’t do anything for me,” she said. “With the dexamethasone, my blood sugar went up so high that I had induced diabetes. And when they lowered the dosage, it didn’t work for me.”

Later she was put on chemotherapy, which cost her a full head of locks, even as it boosted her health.

“When I went on chemotherapy, it was almost like a wonder drug for me. My haemoglobin moved up gradually – nine, then 10, then 11,” she recalled.

“With the chemotherapy, I lost my hair – my shoulder-length locks. And by the time I took off the locks, I used my hand to just yank them. I grew hair on the bald areas. So, is like yesterday you had locks, today you have baby hair.”

The strangeness of having no hair soon wore off, and she was complimented by friends and on her ‘new do’.

“With the bald head, I came to work with my head wrapped up. And then one day two of the ladies from the office said, ‘Let’s see how you look’. They took it off in the bathroom and they said, ‘You look nice’,” Hamer said. “After a while I regained my confidence in how I looked, with everybody saying how good I looked.”

Meanwhile, it was chemotherapy that put her in the state of health that allowed her to take advantage of the opportunity to journey to India in January, where she was inspired by another woman living with cancer.

“When I was there I met a lady from South Africa who was living with leukaemia to the point where she brought morphine. It inspired me to see this woman. I was there for two weeks, but it allowed me to be living with the illness rather than looking at it as a burden. I was resolved to living a regular life,” she said.

Like her course of medication earlier, however, chemotherapy soon lost its impact and her doctor put her on several courses of Velcade, which, while it has yielded moderate results, has left her dealing with uncomfortable side effects.

“What I am having now as a result of Velcade, is pain in the soles of my feet and it is more painful at nights. Every now and again, I feel a sensation almost like an electric shock passing through my feet. But by the time you say ‘ouch’, it’s gone,” she said. “The second cycle of Velcade. I am driving home in my car and I am very cold, shivering from head to toe. By the time I get home, I am so chilled I can feel it in my teeth.”

Despite her progress since the diagnosis, however, Hamer was initially prepared for death.

“I did up my will of the little I owned. My name was on the bank account as the sole name so I got my sister and sister-in-law to put their names on my bank account. I said to myself, ‘If this is the way I am going to die, then this is an easy way to die, because I wasn’t feeling any pain,’ ” she said.

However, in the months since then, she has come to believe that perhaps there will be life after cancer for her – as it has been for so many others.

“All in all, my quality of life has improved. I feel favoured by God, and I have learned to manage the side effects (of the disease) when they come on. I find that I am now empathetic to other persons living with other illnesses. So I am actually thanking the Lord for my experience,” she told the Sunday Observer.

“It has strengthened my faith in God. When you look at US$150,000 it looked like it couldn’t happen. And yet here it is happening in front of my eyes; I am seeing me going to do the transplant before my eyes.”

Added Hamer: “It is an awesome experience in terms of favour and support from friends and family. How often do you get feedback on your life? I am right here and hearing it.”

Hamer has had a long and illustrious career in health and communication, and was at one stage a vice-president of the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ). Before working with the Ministry of Health, she worked as a health specialist with the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), having completed her master’s in Public Health at the University of the West Indies (UWI). Before that she was working in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) as news editor for ZBVI Radio. She also did some consultancy work there and served the islands’ Government Public Information Service as the acting information officer and as the information officer for the BVI’s Ministry of Health’s HIV programme.

She also worked with the Inter Press Service (a wire service that used to have an office in Jamaica) and was the first news director for KLAS in Mandeville. In addition, she was a freelance journalist with the now defunct Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) and chief editor for the Jamaica Information Service’s (JIS’) radio department.

Besides her love for work – which she has had to keep doing – to help finance her health care costs, Hamer is a great lover of the theatre.

“I am very passionate about theatre,” she admits with a smile, as she unleashes memories of various performances with which she was involved in her early years at the university.

Indeed, her work with the theatre movement on campus was such that she was co-director of several plays, including Kwame Dawes’ Sufferers and Confessions. She was also among the founders of the group Christian Graduate Theatre Company.

“We used to do a production every year for four years and train churches in the use of drama. At the time churches were not open to theatre and dancing and that kind of thing. We were kind of looked at as controversial,” she recalls.

She regrets not having been able to indulge in her love of theatre recently.

“I haven’t done anything in theatre for a long time,” she told the Sunday Observer, a touch of sadness in her voice.

Meanwhile, even as Hamer has been able to self-actualise in the months since being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, it has proven an expensive journey. She has managed to progress, however, with the help of the generosity of companies like Olint and Innovative Ideas; her church Swallowfield Chapel; friends and family; and her own meagre savings.

Despite the financial struggle and pain – or perhaps because of it -Hamer encourages other people living with multiple myeloma to nurture hope and maintain a positive outlook.

“I would say what is important is the years that you have here. So don’t waste time getting depressed or feeling sorry for yourself. Try and keep an open mind and get treatment. Don’t resist it,” she said.

Hamer added that people needed to be aware that there are several other persons living with the disease and doing very well.

“There are quite a few people living with myeloma and doing very well. Read up as much as you can about it and talk to persons like me who are living with myeloma. I never expected to have a cancer. I would have expected to get breast cancer, not this strange disease that I know nothing about. For me, I don’t see it as stressful. It is possible to live with an illness and enjoy quality of life.”

Anyone wishing to contribute to financing Hamer’s health care costs can donate to the Faith Hamer Medical Fund at First Caribbean International Bank, account number: 10017555941.