I have a 150 page, 120,000 word website. The web site has a range of supporting material including ebooks, a published book and video. My story (and some great photos) can be viewed below[/su_highlight_one].I have a reference manager that contains over 4000 entries. Most are primary references from peer-reviewed journals where I have the article on my PC. There are also references to books, TV documentaries, podcasts, webpages, blog posts, newspaper articles, conference papers, ABC programs and news items, WHO reports and documents.

I wish to bequeath all my material, including the website, movie, ebooks, and the 4000+ Zotero reference manager to someone who will use and treasure it. I have a number of valuable printed books that I will ship. This could be a collaborative effort. It does not need to be limited to one person or organisation.

I can be contacted by clicking on the purple “Contact Us” button on the right panel.

About Richard

Every year in January a school friend, John and I did a canyon trip in the Blue Mountains of NSW. At the same time, I visit my local doctor.

In 2014, just after my 60th birthday, the results from a blood test came back with abnormal red and white blood cell counts and an elevated bilirubin. Elevated bilirubin is a sign that the liver is not functioning as well as it should.

I was the same weight I was at high school (68kg, 150pound). I kept a skipping rope outside the back door. I did 1000 skips when it was time to have a break.

It took 8 months to diagnose what the problem was. I have myeloma which is a cancer of the bone marrow that can no longer properly produce red and white blood cells. As a result, the immune system is compromised.

Even after I was diagnosed my doctor told me, “If you are going to get cancer, myeloma is one of the best to get.”.

If he told me the truth, that is, “You are really sick. Go home and pack your bags and go to hospital this evening”, the outcome would be different.

I was booked into the regional myeloma clinic for treatment. I had pneumonia at the time he made that assessment which is what nearly killed me. Twice Ruth was told that I would not be coming home. This is in 2014. It is great to prove your highly trained specialist is wrong.

The life expectancy for multiple myeloma patients is 2-3 years. One friend died two weeks after diagnosis at the age of 72.

Nine months later, in September 2014, I ended up in hospital for 9 weeks, including 7 weeks in intensive care. I was 68 kg (150 pounds) before admission – the same weight when I was at high school. I lost 21 kg (46 pound) in 4 weeks and lost 20 cm (8 in) in height. Myeloma also damages bones resulting in abnormal bone growth, bone deformity, crushed vertebrae and many broken ribs. I am still 15 kg lighter and 20 cm shorter than my pre-sickness days.

Even as a teenager, I was conscious of what I ate and have  not eaten animal products for decades. I kept a skipping rope outside the back door and would do 1,000 skips a couple times a day when it was time to have a break. Now, I cannot do one.

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Multiple myeloma is one of our most dreaded cancers. It’s a cancer of our antibody-producing plasma cells found in our bone marrow, and is considered one of our most intractable blood diseases. The precursor condition is monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Multiple myeloma is almost always preceded by MGUS. It has a prevalence of about 3% in the older white population.

MGUS does not have any symptoms. If it does progress to multiple myeloma, you only have about four years to live. That is the average life expectancy. One person (such as me) living a lot longer than expected raises the average life expectancy. The actual life expectancy is much less.

I was on a whole-food, plant-based diet for years and which was not sufficient to prevent me from progressing to multiple myeloma. There is evidence that myeloma is associated with agricultural and environmental toxins. ¹

It would be more credible if I was super fit and healthy. (I was before I become sick with multiple myeloma.) There is evidence that multiple myeloma is the result of environmental and agricultural toxins.

Farm workers have a rate of multiple myeloma of 2.2 times greater than the general population. Those who were suffering from allergies such as hay fever (that’s me) have an elevated risk 3.1 times greater.

My immunoglobulin IgE result was very high. When I gave up sheep and goat cheese and yogurt, the values dropped to normal levels within several weeks. ² ~ ³

There is lots of great information on my website with books and links to getting started on a healthy Whole-food, Plant-based diet (Important! NO added oils, dressings, mayonnaise).

An excellent getting started guide is below. It describes a gentle way of starting a whole-food, plant-based diet by committing to the diet for three weeks. This will enable you to experience the health benefits without making too great a change to diet and lifestyle. Frequently the changes are so profound that fully embrancing the concept is not as difficult as it first appears.
Vegan Starter Kit

People often experience remarkable improvements after the end of the first week.

Yes, I do live in what appears to be a idyllic rural setting but two toxic aluminum smelters were located close by. The port of Newcastle is the world’s largest coal export terminal. Coal dust is a major source of pollution and I am located close to rail transport that transports coal in trains containing 80-90 uncovered wagons many times a day.

We need to find ways of treating MGUS early before it turns into cancer but such treatment does not exists. A whole-food, plant-based diet certainly helps but is no guarantee. The consumption of curcumin, the active ingredient in the spice turmeric has been associated with a decrease in the markers for multiple myeloma.

On the 20th July 2022, I was told that I was in immediate danger of “catastrophic bone marrow dysfunction”. Fortunately, that was resolved within the next 7 days, but it gives an indication of the precariousness of my situation.

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I live with my wife Ruth in the Hunter Valley of NSW. We have a big vegetable garden, keep geese and chickens and have planted hundreds of trees in what was an empty paddock.

I am still alive some 13 years later (in 2026) although physical damaged. Sitting up at the PC or piano is a challenge.

My cancer pathology test (para-protein) result is “nil detected”.

One surprise for medical staff is that my blood pressure is constantly 116-122/70 mmHg, oxygen saturation 99-100% and pulse rate 50-52. Despite my condition, surprisingly that is better than top athletes.

Some photos

Last updated on Friday 6 November 2026 at 07:26 by administrators

Post Type: post

1. Landgren, O. et al. (2015) Agent Orange Exposure and Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance: An Operation Ranch Hand Veteran Cohort Study. JAMA Oncology. 1 (8), 1061–1068
2. Gallagher, R. P. et al. (1983) Allergies and agricultural exposure as risk factors for multiple myeloma. British Journal of Cancer. 48 (6), 853.
3. Durie, B. G. M. (2018) The Link Between Toxic Exposures and Myeloma Risk. International Myeloma Foundation. [online]. Available from: https://www.myeloma.org/blog/dr-duries/toxic-exposures-unleashed.