In 2002 Diahanna and her husband received the news that her husband had MGUS, a precursor to Multiple Myeloma. At times it was difficult for her husband and her voices to be heard when trying to communicate with the doctors. Finally, in a moment of desperation Diahanna had to aggressively insist on being a participant in his care, it in fact saved her husband’s life. It was this experience as well as her professional experience that gave her a profound understanding of the emotional and financial costs that patients bare. Upon her husband death in 2013, Diahanna immediately decided to make it her mission to help patients and caregivers empower themselves to speak up and to position themselves as partners in their treatment.
Diahanna became a Board-Certified Patient Advocate. She is currently the Financial Myeloma Coach for The Myeloma Crowd Foundation. She also received a certificate from George Washington University as an Oncology Patient Navigator. She served as the Board Chair of the Ky/Southern Indiana Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society from 2015-2017. Diahanna is also a 20+ year financial advisor. Diahanna has a BA from Cleveland State University in Political Science. Her most important role was as a 12-year caregiver to her husband who had Myeloma. Her experiences and expertise have led her to advocate for cancer patients and caregivers maneuvering the healthcare system, to help them stay on treatment plan while managing the associated costs.