MMRF AMBASSADOR
SPOTLIGHT
MICHAEL &
TINA RETTIG
It was 2010 when Michael’s lower back pain began to trouble
him. He was forced to cancel a 25th anniversary bicycle trip
through Italy, but not before promising to make it up to Tina
with a stay at a luxury hotel — complete with a river view —
in nearby New York City. His transplant took place over the Rettig’s anniversary.
“MSKCC wasn’t quite the luxury hotel with a river view we
were shooting for,” Michael notes with a smile, “but the river
view was okay, and the cost to stay at the hospital was certainly
expensive enough!”
Michael scheduled several doctors’ appointments to address
his back, culminating with a visit to a neurologist shortly before
leaving on a business trip to China. Upon his return, Tina had
the results. The neurologist’s report showed osteolytic lesions
throughout Michael’s spine and skull. Through a friend, who
was also a hematologist, a series of blood and radiological tests
yielded the ultimate diagnosis — multiple myeloma. Fast forward to today and Michael is seven years in remission.
He credits the MMRF, introduced to him by Dr. Lendvai, for his
ability to fight myeloma as well as he has.
Michael and Tina, along with their children Mara and Max,
began to assemble their cancer-fighting team. Dr. Nikoletta
Lendvai and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC)
were the tip of the spear. Friends and family were also enlisted.
“There is no other organization anywhere in the world that
leverages its resources as effectively as MMRF,” he says. “They
empower you to gain sufficient expertise and awareness so
that you can play a meaningful role in your own care.”
Today the Rettigs are avid supporters of the MMRF, attending
numerous events including annual Fall Gala. Most recently,
Tina has even assumed the role of co-chair for the Laugh of Life
benefit in New York City scheduled for May 2018.
From September through December 2010 Michael underwent
a treatment regiment of Revlimid, Velcade and Dexamethasone
followed by stem cell transplant.
“
”
They (MMRF) empower you to gain sufficient expertise and awareness
so that you can play a meaningful role in your own care.
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– Michael Rettig
T H E M M R F.ORG