True. For multiple myeloma, the average age at diagnosis is 65 years. However, there are more and more young patients each year. The youngest person I have seen was 18 years old.
Sorry to hear about your dad's illness. MM is a bitch.
If coming to the US is an option, there is a treatment center (Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy MIRT) that is part of the University of Arkansas and is probably one of the best places in the world to get myeloma treatment. I know quite a number of people that have gone there and gotten good results.
It is based in Little Rock (of all unlikely places) I think because it was founded by a grant from Sam Walton, founder of WalMart. He died from MM in 1992.
You are thinking of allogeneic bone marrow transplants (bone marrow is transplanted from a donor) where there is a 20% chance of death. Typically, myeloma patients get autologous transplants (the patient self donates bone marrow stem cells) which are much less dangerous (less than 5% death rate). I know someone who has had five ASCTs (autologous stem cell transplants) and he is still kicking. It's not a cake walk but at least you don't die.
I don't see any discussion of the M-count (monoclonal protein) response. My understanding is this is the key measure of myeloma.
It would be really great if this turns out to be a real treatment option because, harsh as it appears from the article, this woman's treatment sounds way easier than the current therapies for myeloma.