Myeloma won’t stop this fangirl from making her annual pilgrimage to SDCC

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Some people have Christmas in July. Or the Fourth of July. I have nine days of fandom heaven! It started with Anime Expo over the Independence Day weekend, but this week is The Big One — San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). Five days with roughly 135,000 fandom friends!

This is an important part of my respite from information overload. It’s also a big part of holding on to who I am, even with multiple myeloma.

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Fangirl, interrupted

I’ve saved most of my SDCC press badges. Only one was never used. That was from 2019, the year I was diagnosed.

I started treatment that May, two months before the convention. Very quickly, I discovered my treatment cocktail of Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide), bortezomib, and dexamethasone — also known as CyBorD — caused a side effect pattern of energy, followed by insomnia, followed by exhaustion. There was no way I could manage the long days and miles of walking that I usually did at a huge event like SDCC. So that year, I reluctantly decided I’d have to skip. Myeloma often demands the better part of valor.

‘See you next year’

Still, I couldn’t resist going to San Diego to pick up my badge and soak in a little of the atmosphere before the convention opened. During SDCC, downtown San Diego is plastered with building wraps advertising upcoming shows and movies. I always love seeing those and hearing the trolley horn as it passes by the convention center. That sound always reminds me of SDCC, no matter when I hear it, and it lifted my spirits that day.

Gina Diamante attends San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition in November 2021. (Photo by Gina Diamante)

And then it got better.

In those days, press attendees picked up their badges in person. While waiting for mine, I mentioned to the security guard that I wasn’t going because of treatment, but I really wanted to get the badge and the souvenir bag, book, and lanyard that every attendee receives.

The guard smiled and said, “We’ll see you next year!” lifting my spirits even further.

He didn’t see me next year, but not because of myeloma. The next year, COVID-19 locked us all down, and the next SDCC wasn’t held until November 2021, as a “Special Edition.”

It was a very small event compared with the July convention, with an atmosphere that was definitely different. But for me, it was a perfect reentry to fandom, giving me a taste of the things I love without the utter exhaustion of the big event.

Fangirling with myeloma

I’ve been back every year since then. But I do things a bit differently than I did pre-myeloma, trying to be more intentional. Since my immunoglobulin levels are always low, I can be more susceptible to colds and flu. I still have to conserve my energy, too, which can be tough with long days and lots of walking while hauling a backpack full of loot.

So I plan for SDCC like a general plans a battle. I started taking vitamin C weeks ago in hopes of building up my immune system. I’m also mapping out what I want to do each day, where I need to go, and what I need to have with me. My packing list is more extensive than the one I had for my stem cell transplant! Camp stool for sitting in long lines? Check. Sunscreen and hand sanitizer? Check. Pills for headaches, leg cramps, and other unpleasant issues that still crop up even four years after treatment? Check, check, check.

This year, I’m even staying at a hotel in San Diego rather than commuting from my home more than an hour away, in the interest of conserving my energy.

There was a time I didn’t consider those things. Those days are long gone. But that’s OK. I’m still able to do something I love, and to me, that’s worth everything.

Note: Rare Cancer News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Rare Cancer News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to rare cancer.