Former professional football player Elijah Alexander was enjoying life as a retired linebacker until his health took a turn for the worse in 2010. At first, his symptoms were written off as the result of years of wear and tear on his body from being an athlete, until one doctor finally ran more tests and diagnosed him with multiple myeloma.
Elijah eventually passed away from the disease, but his wife, Kimberly, remains vocal about telling his story and spreading awareness about myeloma, which affects a higher proportion of African Americans than any other race. But still, many people are unfamiliar with the disease.
Now, Kimberly is trying to change that, and encourages people to be more proactive about their health, not only during Minority Health Month, but throughout the year.
