Margaret’s Story
Margaret's life was filled with adventure long before cancer entered the picture. A skier, hiker, sailor, and lifelong lover of the outdoors, she shared many of those passions with her husband Richard, whom she married at Lake Tahoe in 1996 after the two met while windsurfing.
Everything changed in December 2018.
After months of back pain that had been dismissed as sciatica, a seemingly ordinary misstep resulted in excruciating pain and an emergency trip to the hospital. Tests revealed a fractured vertebra, and a subsequent biopsy confirmed Multiple Myeloma.
What followed was a journey that included radiation treatment, a recurrence two years later, a stem cell transplant in 2020, and ongoing maintenance therapy that continues to affect her immune system today.
One of the greatest losses Margaret experienced wasn't just physical—it was the loss of the active lifestyle she once enjoyed. Vertebral damage, neuropathy, frequent infections, and the realities of being immunocompromised forced her to rethink many of the activities she loved.
Yet through it all, she remained determined to keep moving forward.
She found strength by learning everything she could about her diagnosis and connecting with others navigating the same disease. Those relationships reminded her that she wasn't alone.
Margaret discovered Be Well through a flyer at UC San Diego and immediately embraced the opportunity to practice yoga safely from home through virtual classes.
"I was so happy to do yoga again," she recalls.
Within weeks, she noticed improvements in her balance and strength. Over time, the classes became about much more than physical recovery. The friendships, support, and understanding she found within the Be Well community became just as important.
"Being with people who have been through it, you don't have to explain yourself," she says. "You can just relax and be."
Today, Margaret is stronger, steadier, and grateful for the connections she has built through Be Well. While cancer remains part of her story, it no longer defines every chapter.
For Margaret, survivorship is beautifully simple.
It's being here for another day.
It's finding joy where you can.
And, as she says with a smile, it's learning not to be afraid of Christmas anymore.
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