Rob Paterson is unlike many Canadians.
Health officials have called him a "medical miracle" in his battle against multiple myeloma.
The North Bay native has faced multiple chemotherapy treatments, and three stem cell transplants - with the third one from his brother being credited with saving him.
However, medical miracle means his positive outcome is not a common one.
Paterson was among more than a dozen people who gathered outside North Bay City Hall for a flag-raising ceremony in recognition of Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month.
"My disease was caught because I had my annual blood work," he said
Erin Belzile is the Nipissing District support leader for Myeloma Canada.
She knows first hand about the disease as her husband was diagnosed and finally received his first stem cell transplant in 2020.
"My husband got this unrelenting back pain and when the pandemic hit, his disease went a lot further without being diagnosed so we were a long time, like nine months until he was finally diagnosed and the myeloma went into multiple places in his body and he had a stem cell transplant in 2020 and he has been on treatment ever since," she said.
"It was brought up earlier that if his disease would have been diagnosed earlier he would have a lot less problems today. So we really want to make a difference to the community and other Canadians to show there is a way to help your prognosis if you can get it diagnosed earlier."
She believes myeloma is very underdiagnosed within the community.
"We would really love to bring attention to the diagnosis of myeloma and have patients and people aware of what the symptoms are and also the medical community so they can diagnose and recognize symptoms when patients come to their office," said Belzile.
"It is a rare blood cancer, but it does affect 11 Canadians per day and even more that are not diagnosed unfortunately that go on for years. It is a blood cancer that affects your plasma and the plasma is in your bone marrow and is produced there so often symptoms are bone related. They have bone pain. Commonly back pain but also can be hip pain, shoulder, arm, rib pain and even skull pain. It can be very painful and unrelenting."
She says you can be diagnosed through a very simple blood test. For more information on multiple myeloma you can click HERE
