In 2003, Colin Powell made a very public and overt announcement that he was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. Though that seems like a somewhat common admission these days, it was a brave and unique revelation those few short but significant years ago. Few men shared such a medical revelation - especially ones who had spent their life working against stereotypes and overcoming barriers to advancement for people of color.
In 2019, General Powell announced that he had also been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (MM) - this time in front of a small gathering of some 400 M.M. patients and advocates. Though the sharing of this information was much less public (and remained a private matter), the level of his courage was no less than his other extensive groundbreaking military and diplomatic service to our nation. He went on from that date to become a staunch friend of MM; working tirelessly on behalf of awareness and research efforts.
As has been well documented within these pages, MM is among those disorders that dramatically compromises the body's natural immune system, thereby making it increasingly more difficult to defend itself against diseases great and small (from colds to cancers). As brave and larger-than-life as Powell was, despite the care of the best physicians that our society could offer, and even after having received two rounds of vaccinations (he was days away from the third/booster shot) - no one is immune from Covid. This is not shared to scare or alarm, but rather to enhance our collective vigilance and awareness of what we are dealing with and how important it is to be mindful and cautious.
General Powell lived as an example of what one person can do to change perceptions and prejudices. He also demonstrated that oftentimes politics must take a back seat to doing the right thing about a cause or issue whose needs transcend partisanship. Through his presence and his passing, let us be reminded of: the seriousness of MM, the fragility of life, and the many therapeutic tools that we have today to help us in the battle for our health. His very public and very personal courage can serve as an inspiration to us all.
