Professor of Medicine, Hematologist/Oncologist, and Honoree MD at the University of Brussels, Dr. Brian G.M. Durie is a co-founder of the IMF.
Published on February 20, 2020
I have written a lot about resilience and the importance of it for myeloma patients. The “Wall of Resilience,” a moving photo exhibit curated by Sue Dunnett, Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, depicts a variety of sources of strength and resilience that myeloma patients rely on in their personal lives. These include nature, family and friends, hobbies, and activities. And the theme of the IMF’s 2020 Myeloma Action Month campaign, which starts March 1, is resilience—an attribute people living with myeloma call on daily.
The bestselling book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth shows comprehensively why passion and resilience are the secrets to success. After researching why some well-qualified military recruits successfully completed basic training, while others failed, Duckworth realized that those who succeeded possessed a type of perseverance and thought that this quality deserved a lot more thought and discussion. She developed something called the “grit scale” to measure individual perseverance.
Resilience is the ability to thrive in the face of adversity, such as a diagnosis of multiple myeloma. Some people are naturally resilient. But for most people, a better understanding of resiliency and some “coaching” are required. The following specific actions can help:
One must be positive, but not ignore obstacles. Family, friends, and community support are very important to enhance resilience through low points.
A passion for life and success is vital, as is creating concrete ideas and goals. Where will you go for the best treatment advice? Will you be able to continue to work? All the essential questions need to be answered.
One of the keys to resilience is the ability to calmly step back and quietly, patiently assess the situation. Each day is not the same. Rest is required to prepare for each small battle. Energy must be conserved. In facing a life challenge like myeloma, the ability to step back and focus on what needs to be done is very important.
One way to improve our focus, according to resiliency experts, is through mindfulness techniques: take deep breaths, calm the mind, and allow solutions to emerge. Studies have shown a benefit with 20 to 30 minutes daily of quiet meditation before starting the busy day.
We can turn to nature to witness resilience in full force. A striking example occurred in the winter of 1890 when starlings, small birds, were introduced to Central Park in New York from the U.K. Previous efforts to introduce other bird species in America had been unsuccessful. But starlings are extremely resilient. Their passion to survive in New York drove them to hide under the eaves of the nearby American Museum of Natural History to keep warm. But in order to expand to a population that is now 200 million birds and counting in the U.S., the starlings proved to be tremendous innovators as well. They seek out grain in farm fields. Males may decorate their nests with flowers to attract mates. Their strong beaks are fantastic for foraging. They adapted amazingly to the new challenge of being in New York.
The best example of resilience among trees is that of the Gingko, a tree most associated with China. Gingko trees have survived in planet earth for about 200 million years and individual trees can live for thousands of years. In Peter Crane’s beautiful book, Gingko: The Tree That Time Forgot, he leads off the chapter on “Resilience” with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “Strength comes from an indomitable will.”
The famous Five Generations Gingko found in Tianmu Mountain National Reserve in China illustrates an important quality of the Gingko tree: the ability to re-create new trunks from the ground level up if the major trunk is severely damaged. This happened five times and resulted in a tree with five major trunks. Such trees can resist pests, infection, and toxins, allowing them to adapt to changing environments.
I wish everyone reading this blog post the strength and resilience to achieve their very best!
Professor of Medicine, Hematologist/Oncologist, and Honoree MD at the University of Brussels, Dr. Brian G.M. Durie is a co-founder of the IMF.