For those of you who missed it I have added links to Elijah's interview here. Just move your cursor over the pics or label under the pics and click. An NBC commercial will air first and then the news piece will come on. Thanks!


Fighting multiple myeloma


Ex-Oakland Raiders battles myeloma


New findings in myeloma research

Tonight's the night! It's kind of excitng, in a bittersweet way. While I am so glad that the disease is getting some exposure, I sure wouldn't have minded not being a part of the club. But oh well, we're card carrying members and duty calls. All I want is a cure. I have a husband and my children have a father that we want to grow old with. That's all I want, a simple cure.

FIGHTING A KILLER

By Clare Duffy, NBC News producer

Editor's note: Robert Bazell's report airs on tonight's broadcast. Watch a preview here.
One of the great privileges of working on this broadcast is the opportunity to dig into stories that matter - especially stories that have personal significance as well. Today's piece by Robert Bazell on multiple myeloma is, for me, one of those stories.
A year ago today, my uncle, the actor Peter Boyle, lost his battle with this disease at age 71. It took Gen. Wayne Downing, a much beloved figure here at Nightly News, as well. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, and it lays waste to a person's immune system. It was a terrible way to go, and unimaginably hard for my aunt and cousins to witness. But they were helped tremendously by some very kind and gifted people, in particular my uncle's physician, Dr. Brian Durie, who is featured in tonight's story. Dr. Durie and his wife, Susie Novis, head the International Myeloma Foundation, which is doing groundbreaking research. Some of the results were presented at the American Society of Hematology conference just this week - in particular, some intriguing findings about the impact of exposure to certain toxins in the environment on a person's tendency to develop this disease. Unlike most other cancers, rates of diagnosis are increasing for myeloma and it's vital to figure out why.
Only a few months after my uncle's death, my aunt, Loraine Alterman Boyle - one of the bravest people I know - turned her attention to raising money to help fund that research. And she's not the only one - in tonight's story, we will introduce you to Elijah and Kimberly Alexander. Two years ago, at age 35, Elijah - a retired linebacker for the Oakland Raiders - was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Not so long ago, this disease was confined to older folks. That's not the case anymore. Multiple myeloma took more than 40 pounds off this tower of strength, leaving him barely able to walk across the room. But with the help of his family, and some new therapies, Eli's in remission and he and Kimberly are raising money as well. This disease, while rare, seems to mobilize those who get an unwanted trip to, as Susie Novis calls it, "Myeloma World." Eli and Kim are giving back in a big way, and like my aunt, are doing everything they can to see that others might not have to go through what they've experienced.
There are a great many resources online for multiple myeloma, including:

The International Myeloma Foundation

Elijah Alexander's Tackle Myeloma Foundation

Kim Alexander's blog about her family's experience with myeloma

The Whirlwind

The only word to describe the time period between the golf tournament and now is simply CRAZY!!!!!!!! I don't know where to start so I'll just go in chronological order. The golf tournament was another big success. We're set to give the Medical City Dallas children's hospital another check next week. We're also donating to IMF (International Myeloma Foundation) and MMRF. In early November I had the opportunity to fly to L.A. attend the IMF's Celebration of Life event for actor Peter Boyle. It was awesome. I was nervous because I really didn't want to go by myself. I'd never been to L.A. before, plus I figured the IMF people would be more interested in meeting him than me. In addition to that, both boys football teams were in the playoff hunt so the games were really important. Hence the reason why I had to travel alone. Duty called and coach wasn't about to let his little Wildcats or Raven's defense operate without him at that point in the season. It paid off. Both boys teams ended up advancing and winning their championship games. The IMF event was awesome, the people there were so friendly and inviting. Kelly Cox and his wife, Mary Turner made me feel right at home. I even got to experience walking the red carpet like a real celeb and that was a hoot.

I flew back to Dallas to get ready for our trip to Florida for the Thanksgiving break. I don't think Elijah and I had been together in Gainesville since little Eli was about a year old. So with that being said I was in major reminisce mode and dragged my husband, our sons and my dad to the exact spot where I met my husband almost 15 years ago. So what if I was having a dork moment, Norman Gym will always have a special place in my heart, even though it doesn't look the same (generous funding from all those GATOR championships have rendered parts of the campus virtually unrecognizable now :-).

The trip was very relaxing, exactly what we needed. As soon as we got back to Dallas it was time to get the ball rolling with finalizing everything for our first ever TMF Appreciation dinner for our sponsors and donors. I wanted to make sure the event was really special, but upon hearing that Kelly from the IMF and a journalist from NBC would be attending, that made the need for a great event more important. The 9group (they operate The Ghost Bar, N9ne Steakhouse and Nove Italiano) hosted the event for us and it could not have been any more perfect. I was nervous about talking to the crowd about Elijah. I tried on a few occasions to write a speech, but the right words wouldn't come out. Sooo, I just grabbed a note card, wrote down some words to remind of key points and prayed that when I stood up there I didn't sound like a blubbering idiot. I don't exactly remember what I said, but as long as I didn't trip and fall or cry, I was going to consider it a success. I'll post more pics from the event later. It was so nice to be able to meet and mingle with the people that have provided us and our foundation so much support. And the food was delicious. I'm still a bit ticked about the waitstaff taking my plate during my speech. The chicken marsala, mac and cheese and spring rolls has earned Eli the right to take me to Nove and N9ne whenever he'd like. I also need to see the Ghost Bar on a regular night too. Sean (from the Ghost Bar) took care of us, no other way to put it. I'm a fan for life.

Below is a picture of Eli being interviewed by Clare Duffy from NBC. Well she's not exactly interviewing him in this shot. She's thumbing through his latest obsession, a gift from the PGA Superstore. It's a big book with info on world's best golf courses. Just what Eli needed, printed excuses to justify gallivanting off to exotic places just to hit a little white ball. I really don't get it. But that's okay, I'm sure he feels the same way when he seeing lusting over a pair of shoes or a new handbag. The NBC crew hung out with Eli and hopefully the footage they collected will be a prat of a story shedding light on myeloma. Anything to bring attention to the disease, I am all for. Hopefully we'll get info on will it will air so that I can shoot an e-mail out to EVERYONE!!

I have a new love for our TMF. I loved it before, but I wasn't ready to embrace it. Everything we had been through was still too fresh. It took hearing people mispronounce the disease and not fully comprehend that Elijah actually still suffers from it for me plunge in. Who better to explain the hell the disease can cause than the person who watched it morph her husband. When he came home from his doctor's appointment last week and reminded me that 18 months ago he didn't have the needed white and red blood cells or platelets in him due to the massive amounts of chemo he was given for his transplant it hit me how far he's come. That's what I am hanging on. There has to be a reason God has kept him here for us and whatever it takes to keep him here, we just have to get it done.

We're three weeks away from 2008 and the trend I have noticed is that when I have claimed an amazing year, an amazing year occurs. So let me state it now, I thank God for another year with my husband and another year for our foundation to make a difference in other people's lives. I won't be shy and will ask for more of the same for 2008.

I'll try to update the blog before New Year's, but if I don't, here's hoping you and your family have a

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Love ya, Kimberly

PS-Sorry for the long post, but it was long overdue.