When Kimberly Alexander’s husband, former NFL linebacker Elijah Alexander, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at just 35 years old, their lives changed forever. What followed was a five-year battle—not just against the disease, but against systemic gaps in healthcare, delayed diagnoses, and the emotional toll of caregiving. In this raw and powerful episode, Kimberly shares her journey from wife to widow to warrior, detailing the realities of advocating for a loved one while fighting exhaustion, grief, and a system that too often fails Black patients.
From the missed red flags (doctors dismissing Elijah’s pain as “just football injuries”) to the pivotal moment a Costa Rican physician saved his life, Kimberly reveals the hard-won lessons that now fuel her work as a patient advocate. She opens up about the isolation of caregiving, the lifesaving power of clinical trials, and why she refuses to let myeloma “win”—even after Elijah’s passing.
For anyone who’s ever loved someone through illness, this episode is a testament to resilience, a call to action for health equity, and a playbook for finding strength in the trenches.
Key Themes:
- The hidden battlefield of caregiving
- Overcoming healthcare disparities in cancer treatment
- Why Black representation in clinical trials matters
- Practical tips for self-advocacy and caregiver survival
- Turning grief into purpose
