Someone to Lean On

[B06Tang]

I really appreciate all of your words of encouragement you guys are shooting my way and especially the examples some of you have shared with me on people you know who have gone through this and done well. I have even showed my wife the responses to these posts and it has encouraged her even more! Really guys...thank you so much! I feel so much better being able to share and not just being the guy taking it all in all the time.

LMT - I am on the same page with you as I consider you a friend as well even though we have only related through a damn keyboard...pretty weird huh?! But I do feel the same way. Hell...I don't even know how many parts are on my bike right now that has come from your garage and that has kept me rolling over here in Japan. I have every intention on meeting up with you during my retirement ride and having you take me to what you consider is the best cheeseburger joint that you know of...the bill is on me! (I'm a hamburger junkie when I travel and try to find the best one out there in each state I go to). Thanks again guys...truly. I am going to keep this thread going and use it for an update as we battle through this and beat it.

 

[monty]

Matt,

My thoughts are with you and your family.......

This will work out.

Monty

 

[strokerlmt]

I really appreciate all of your words of encouragement you guys are shooting my way and especially the examples some of you have shared with me on people you know who have gone through this and done well. I have even showed my wife the responses to these posts and it has encouraged her even more! Really guys...thank you so much! I feel so much better being able to share and not just being the guy taking it all in all the time.

LMT - I am on the same page with you as I consider you a friend as well even though we have only related through a damn keyboard...pretty weird huh?! But I do feel the same way. Hell...I don't even know how many parts are on my bike right now that has come from your garage and that has kept me rolling over here in Japan. I have every intention on meeting up with you during my retirement ride and having you take me to what you consider is the best cheeseburger joint that you know of...the bill is on me! (I'm a hamburger junkie when I travel and try to find the best one out there in each state I go to). Thanks again guys...truly. I am going to keep this thread going and use it for an update as we battle through this and beat it.

Look forward to the C burger. Meanwhile take care of your wife, boys and yourself. Keep us all up to date.
LMT

 

[D9]

Matt - we have some similarities in our histories - sounds as if your wife
is getting the best care she can get and she has the best husband
on the whole planet to stand by her during this time... you're doing what's often
the hardest and best thing one human being can do for another, which
is caring for them no matter what, through whatever and
however difficult the circumstances are...

Just shoveled two driveways... inspired by your pics...

 

[rndtaylor1]

God bless your entire family.

More prayers surround you than you know.

Triumph indeed!

 

[B06Tang]

I wanted to post an update for you guys seeing the overwhelming response I received. I am truly convinced that the positive thoughts, prayers and so on are truly the "X" factor in this equation and my wife has been surrounded by that. I stand her side as strong as I possibly can, her family, her friends, my friends, my shop, this forum...it has been overwhelming and it has opened my eyes. First things first though and here is what happened:

#1 I took my wife down for her second chemo session where it started with blood work being done to get her counts and then off to talk to her doctor.

#2 Her doctor could not have been more pleased. All results from all testings are back...ultra-sound, CT scan, MRI, bone testing...all of it...ZERO transfer of the cancer to any other part of her body without question.

#3 Her blood count was some of the best numbers he has ever seen...almost as if she hasn't even had her first session already. Because of that, he upped her dosage from the 80% intensity to the full 100% that he can administer which she received today. This was huge news for us as her body can handle the full intensity of the chemo which only means the more aggressively the cancer gets attacked

#4 The doctor sees my wife staying on full schedule with this and surgery being performed in August which was the original plan. He projected her chances at beating this at 85% now and didn't even mention the 60% - 70% that he started off with three weeks ago.

Both my wife and I are bed rocked into the thought that we beat this. This is going past hope to the believing/knowing realm. We both believe that the support and strength surrounding us on this is a major factor in this. I have already told my wife when this nightmare started that I have her side...no matter what I am here and I won't blink. Two years ago my wife was five months pregnant with my younger son when we got hit with the 9.0 quake. I remember having my oldest son in my left arm who was three at the time and I my wife's wrist in a death grip with my right hand and forced her to run with me to high ground as the PA systems were blasting off to prepare for the tsunami. As I told her, my grip is on her again and there is nothing that will make me loosen my hold. We are running the high ground now and we are beating this because frankly, when you have something like this...then you make sure that you do whatever you have to do so that your grip never opens...

 

[britman]

All the best

That is a great shot. Keep the good news coming.

 

[Twodogs]

Keep yourselves high with the good news and don't let any bad news bring you down, stay strong and positive and beat this thing.

 

[DandyDoug]

Beautiful family !!

 

[D9]

Good news indeed... awesome photo, you guys were wayyyyy up there!

 

[B06Tang]

Thanks guys...that is the new Tokyo Skytree tower that recently opened. Tokyo reclaimed the tallest tower in the world once again. The wife took the boys there for New Years when she was visiting family. Our oldest isn't in the picture because he wanted to stay at home with grandma...kind of unique I guess but he loves being with his grandma

 

[strokerlmt]

Great news Matt.....great picture.....keep moving forward, never look back.....
"press on"
LMT

 

[Twodogs]

Hi B06Tang,
This is something that a Mate forwarded on to me that may interest yourself and your wife. It makes for some interesting reading but I myself am not looking too deeply into it at this point in time,trying to avoid any of the fruit loop rantings that clog the internet in regards to cures for everything including cancer. Having started my third lot of Chemo today I sort of figured, as it mentions at the beginning "a tea spoon of lemon juice a day,what can it hurt?" I Hope your wife, yourself and your family are doing well,

Cheers TD


LEMON JUICE
Interesting...
Even doctors are now saying that
there is value in trying LEMON.

So, a tablespoon of "real lemon" (the concentrate in a bottle) in a glass of
water every morning. What can it hurt?
Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Charles Street Baltimore, MD
This is the latest in medicine, effective for cancer! Read carefully & you
be the judge. Lemon (Citrus) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells.
It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy. Why do we not know about
that? Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic
version that will bring them huge profits. You can now help a friend in need
by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the
disease. Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific effects
of chemotherapy. How many people will die while this closely guarded secret
is kept, so as not to jeopardize the beneficial multimillionaires large
corporations? As you know, the lemon tree is known for its varieties of
lemons and limes. You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the
pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc... It is credited
with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on
cysts and tumors.
This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is
very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti
microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against
internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high
and an antidepressant, combats stress and nervous d! isorders. The source of
this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug
manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20 laboratory tests
since 1970, the extracts revealed that: It destroys the malignant cells in
12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas...The
compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better than the product
Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the
growth of cancer cells.
And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with lemon extract
only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells.

Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Cause Street, Baltimore, MD1201

SEND TO EVERYONE ... Please! ! !

 

[B06Tang]

Hey Twodogs,

Thank you for sharing this with me and I already have told my wife about it. I agree with you though...what can it hurt especially when it comes to natural fruit. A good friend of ours is a cervical cancer survivor for six years who was doing a lot of the natural juice thing during her chemo treatments and it did wonders. The first thing my wife wanted was to do this so I went out and got her a real good juice machine. We've been drinking a tall glass of natural vegetable & fruit juice every night that is primarily carrot but with a whole bunch of other things to include lemons. Next week my wife gets another ultra sound done to see if the mass has reduced but I think it has...just a feeling/belief. On the other hand though, the doctor was really surprised by how high her blood counts were at the last visit and he was told about the vegetable juice thing...he told my wife to keep doing it.

I want you to know that I am thinking about you now too for your chemo sessions. Be strong and believe! If you have negative thoughts from others around you then tell them to fuck off. Surround yourself with positive energy and fight! Thank you for taking the time to share this with me and I really hope the best for you and what you have to do.

Matt

 

[Twodogs]

Hi Matt,


My Mate has just sent me another email that may be of some help

Lee, I have also heard of someone else using this with great success, Here is what they do -
Add 1/4 glass of warm water, Then add 1/2 a shooter glass of Apple Cider Vinegar, Then 1 full desert spoon of Manuka Honey
Then add the juice of 1 to 1 1/2 Lemons & Stir it all together (The water being warm helps to mix the honey as well)
Do this Every Morning (With Breakfast) & Every Night (With Dinner)

(As you would know, You can buy the Apple Cider Vinegar from Coles or Woolworths & Health Food Shops
& The Manuka Honey from Health Food Shops, Chemists & Some Supermarkets)

Best Regards
Lee

 

[B06Tang]

It has been a while since I have posted any kind of update since this nightmare started and felt that I should to let those of you know what is happening that have shown concern. It has been an experience to put it mildly since February. In some ways I feel as if I blinked and it flew by and other times it is as if I have felt every single second that has ticked...hard to explain.

The Good News:

My wife is winning this fight. As of this last Friday, she is 70% done with the chemo therapy and there has been a 50% reduction to the mass! You read that correct...we have fought this thing back and destroyed half of it! The chemo is going so well that her doctor added two more sessions on to make it a total of ten instead of eight which was the original plan. My wife has not missed one session and her counts have been high each time we return. She remains healthy, strong and in good spirits.

It has taken me six months to battle against the forces-to-be but I have finally convinced the pencil pushers at headquarters level to approve my deferment package so that we can stay here in Japan one extra year so that my wife can continue to receive her care uninterrupted in the local community in Japan. This was MUCH harder that it sounds to pull off. We are in the Exceptional Family Medical Program (EFMP) now which means I can only be assigned to a location that have the facilities to tend to my wife's needs. Misawa is not one of those bases and in their eyes, the AF is not owning up to its responsibilities to care for my wife and that a move had to be done right away. The package I submitted explained how, my wife who is also a Japanese citizen, is receiving the best possible care she can in her country of origin where there is the family and friend network to help out in this process. It wasn't easier convincing a bunch of stiff boards 9,000 miles away who are so fucking uptight that they release a high pitched sound every time they fart that only dolphins can hear! But there are advantages of hitting the 20 year mark and being a senior NCO as I think I might have surpassed the legal limit of telling people to "go fuck themselves" during this whole ordeal...my heels were dug in and there was only one acceptable answer to receive....approval to the one year deferment to the EFMP so that my wife finishes her care here where it started, uninterrupted and with full success. We return to the states one year later but it will be done...just annual check ups and monitoring. No translation of files and documents...no different approaches to her situation mid-stream of this fight...we see it through in one shot. I can't tell you the relief we had when we finally got the news as the vast majority of people told me that I was "in for a rough ride" trying to get this one approved. You see...the man with the mirror shades does NOT like to allow one year deferements to us EFMP prisoners. Once you get coded into that system...then you are locked into that system!

The "bad" news:

My service to my country is done. I will continue to do my best and contribute...especially to my younger troops who I feel I can still guide and teach...but my service as far as a career is over. The EFMP is a game changer. I am no longer eligible for overseas assignments as cancer patients in this program cannot receive the proper care in overseas base facilities. I am eligible only for a certain few of the bases once in the states because of this. The rank I am wearing right now is the last rank I will ever have but I am cool with it. I have a wife that has supported me during this whole ride. The deployments, the two, one year long assignments to Korea that had to be done on my own without the family being assigned with me, the recalls, the exercises...all of it. She has been my major support structure and she never once faltered on me. After all this time, Mrs. Tang kept bouncing the globe with me move after move and did it with a smile on her face and a kiss on my cheek. My focus goes to her now and whatever is best for her is what I do. So we will take an assignment back to the states a year from now, make sure is fine and all on track and it will be time for the Tang to receive his folded flag in a shadow box, salute sharply and take the uniform off. These are the cards on my table and I'm fine with it and I'm fine with the choices I have made. I will stand proudly and next to me, with a bouqet of flowers in her lap during this ceremony will be a very pretty lady who I met in Tokyo in 1994 and was hit by the lightning bolt. My first thought seeing this hottie was..."holy shit! how long is it going to take me to get into her pants??!!"

 

[B06Tang]

The Things I Have Learned so Far:

#1 - There is a difference....A VAST difference between what we think is important in our life versus what is ACTUALLY important in our life - think about it

#2 - Find someone/something stronger than you...when this first happened I damn near lost it. I was just a couple years older than my oldest boy when my mother died of the same cancer. Three years later my old man faceplanted on the job site of a heart attack and died and there I was at too young of an age about to learn how much of a mother fucker this thing called life was about to be. I have always been a pretty 5th gear type of mother fucker. It was my wife that convinced me that not everyone was out to get me and I don't have to take everyone on as a protection mechanism. If you attack and always attack...then it is hard to get attacked. But this one got me...it floored me. The demons were coming straight back at me again but this time they were passing me and heading straight to my boys. I went into their bedroom while they were sleeping and fell straight to my knees at the foot of their bed...first time I have ever gone down to my knees since doing under protest to my mother's sternful eye towards me at church when I was just a very young boy. I went straight down this time asking for the strength for this fight so that I could break this cycle I seem to be cursed to...to break this and give a better life for my boys. I won't go much more into detail about this but it was received and my focus has not swayed for one second during this whole time.

#3 - In the fight be ready to get pounded just as much as you can swing...the shots are going to come and they are going to land squarely on your chin. We can't always be the one swinging...that isn't being strong in the fight...that is just being lucky. Some of the worse times in my life ever was waiting those two weeks to find out if her cancer spread or not. My wife and I really found ourselves during that time. No matter how painful....no matter the odds...my heels were dugged in and I was leading straight into the fight. I'm not going to lie...I've spat a few teeth out it feels but I'm still here and I still stand my ground. The hits aren't over but I'm not done swinging either. When you know starting off the fight is going to be tough and enduring...then you can prepare and be ready for it

#4 - Do not underestimate children - I was convinced when this first was happening that we shield it from the boys and get through what we had to get through. My youngest is only 18 months and probably won't remember this but my oldest boy is 5 now...different story. I know this pain...I know this ride...I have been on this ride once already as a child and it tore me apart thinking this was getting passed down to my boys now. I want to coccoon them in my protection and make everything alright and then open that coccoon after the surgery is done and let everyone go run and play and be happy. I know...real simple thinking so sue me...I'm a guy! If a nut is loose then get a torque wrench and tighten it down to spec! This is what we do and how we are hard-wired. Unfortunately though Life isn't that neat & tidy. My son was sitting with his mother on the couch about two months ago where out of the blue he just made the announcement..."mommy, why are you always wearing hats?! I don't like you in hats! You are not wearing hats anymore!" He then, with lion-like reflex...reached up and snatched at her cap and partially saw why his mother was always wearing the hats. It shocked him for a moment but then he shrugged and claimed that mommy now has hair like daddy. But what actually ended up happening is that we allowed my son to empathize with what his mother is going through. Now he goes up and will give his mother a kiss on her head when he sees her tiring out and tell her that "it's ok mommy...I'm going to help you." I was wrong to try to shield him from this and I see that now but my intentions were good. He doesn't know that mommy has cancer...that word is too horrifying for a small child as I know from experience. But he does know mommy is sick and gets real tired but that mommy is also strong and is going t be ok.

#5 Recognize when strength is shown to you and use it...There is nothing more humbling than being directed by a five year old on how you WILL perform! I had to pick my boy up from his Japanese school and then go back to the hospital an hour away to get my wife. The new chemo batch takes twice as long to administer so I play the yo-yo and run around all day and take care of business starting off by being in the hospital with Mrs Tang and seeing her off. I told my son that we have to go back and pick up mommy but that we will stop at McDonalds for a cheeseburger (bribery is the ultimate form of parenting)! He looked at me with a fucking George Patton type look on his face..."today is the day they put needles in mommy and hurt her." I put my hand on top of his head as I drove down the road and told him that was right but those needles are helping mommy to get better and that mommy IS getting better for you and your brother. And that is when my five year old little boy floored me with his demands:

"Daddy...you will be strong for mommy...
you will make mommy better...
daddy, you will fight for mommy so she doesn't hurt anymore"

I did my best to keep the tears from my eyes and I vowed to my son that with every breath in my body...I would be strong enough and do this. I took the orders as he pointed his index finger at me. I was given my marching orders and accepting them or not was not a choice. I had just been directed by a five year old and you know what...it makes me damn proud.



We are not out of the woods yet. There are still three more chemo sessions to get through and then the surgery hopefully in September if this stays on schedule. My heels are dugged deep in and I am taking the demons head on. The Tang family is going to make it through to the other side on this one...you can bet your ass on that one! :up:

 

[msc66]

I just came across this as I dont do the internet much but I hope things are still going well for your wife and family. :rockon:

 

[monty]

Out of the mouths of babes Tang......

My son has been through a lot of the last few years, what with his mum and I splitting up and then me with someone else, a new sister.............whom he idolises.

Throughout he has been fabulous. He is MY hero.

He is my best friend and a fine young fella that any father would be proud to call son.....

Blessings to you all Tang.

Monty

 

[B06Tang]

I just came across this as I dont do the internet much but I hope things are still going well for your wife and family. :rockon:

Out of the mouths of babes Tang......

My son has been through a lot of the last few years, what with his mum and I splitting up and then me with someone else, a new sister.............whom he idolises.

Throughout he has been fabulous. He is MY hero.

He is my best friend and a fine young fella that any father would be proud to call son.....

Blessings to you all Tang.

Monty

Thanks guys for these comments you shared with me. We just got back from the eighth chemo and had the CT scan results come back. No spreading, no stimulation to the mass and another 10% reduction which makes it a little over 60% reduction since this nightmare started. Scheduling is taking place for the surgery to take place in September. Things are going very well for us right now and there is no turning back now!

Monty - Thank you for sharing that with me. One of the many things my dumbass learned during this whole thing is that our children are a hell of a lot stronger and resilient than what most give them credit for. Sometimes I truly wonder if my two boys have taught me more during this whole thing than the other way around...it is simply humbling.