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Prolly the oldest n00b you geeks will ever see
I have been following Chris for quite a few years, I used to get the newsletter back when I was in the United States providing care for my Mom. I was back there for 10 years and my family was here in French Polynesia where I am now. I was a lockergnome regular (lurker) and always wanted to get up to Seattle for one of the get togethers, but something always came up and I never did.
A little over a year ago, I decided to go to our PDX VA Hospital and try to get a physical exam as i hadn't had one since I retired out of the Navy. After several weeks of running around and waiting I was called in for processing, and was given a primary health care provider to be my go between the me and the various specialists in today's modern hospital. I spent over 2 weeks getting xray'd, poked, prodded, stuck, and all the other indignities associated with a complete physical, and sat back awaiting the results. I was called in to my PHCP, and she dropped the bombshell... I was diagnosed with skin cancer of the right temple, had serious glaucoma damage in both eyes, and a colonoscopy showed colon cancer or a tumor growing on my colon. I was asked if I had any family, and I explained that all my family were in French Polynesia, also that the only reason I was in the States was to provide care for a 93 year old mother. My doctor told me that my caregiver days were over, and I needed to contact my wife and family to have someone provide care for me and things were not looking good. I contacted my daughter who is a nurses aide (sort of a Navy Corpsman medic) in our local hospital and had her arrange my wifes transportation to Oregon from Tahiti, and she arrived just in time to be with me for the whole 9 yards of over a month and a half of practically living in the VA hospital. She was my right arm, she did all the running and things that I no longer could do, and I was still driving and reporting in for tests and treatments and all the things that were coming down and I had started loosing weight very fast. Just before the colon surgery. The surgeon I had was a middle aged German Lady and I would march into Hell with her if she asked. She saved my life by removing over a meter of my colon and gave me my life back by not installing a colonostmy bag...
By this time I was down to under a hundred pounds, and not sure if I were going to make it home. (My wife and family had decided that I was coming home no matter what as I have grandkids who barely knew me. To make a long story short, my wife did all the boxing and packing of my personal effects putting everything in a 20ft container along with doing the inventory for customs and preparing the shipping documents. We left PDX on the morning of the 4th of July arriving home on the morning of the 5th.
I am back home at present and am under control of the French Medical System, I have gained back all of the weight that I had lost, and am still gaining a little more slowly but surely. I still do not have the strength that I had in 2008, but I am working on it. I still am a geek, and proud to be one. My hobby is photography, and as long as I can control the glaucoma, I will continue to do what I like best.
Being on the island of Raiatea, makes for interesting photo shoots almost daily. I thought that I might share a photo with you today and use this blog to show you the beauty of French Polynesia its people and its culture and Scenery, oops, I almost forgot our flowers.... I am hoping that this is the place for that sort of thing, as I don't do videos....
Our Flowers
Our People
Our Island
You want more lemme know.....
A little over a year ago, I decided to go to our PDX VA Hospital and try to get a physical exam as i hadn't had one since I retired out of the Navy. After several weeks of running around and waiting I was called in for processing, and was given a primary health care provider to be my go between the me and the various specialists in today's modern hospital. I spent over 2 weeks getting xray'd, poked, prodded, stuck, and all the other indignities associated with a complete physical, and sat back awaiting the results. I was called in to my PHCP, and she dropped the bombshell... I was diagnosed with skin cancer of the right temple, had serious glaucoma damage in both eyes, and a colonoscopy showed colon cancer or a tumor growing on my colon. I was asked if I had any family, and I explained that all my family were in French Polynesia, also that the only reason I was in the States was to provide care for a 93 year old mother. My doctor told me that my caregiver days were over, and I needed to contact my wife and family to have someone provide care for me and things were not looking good. I contacted my daughter who is a nurses aide (sort of a Navy Corpsman medic) in our local hospital and had her arrange my wifes transportation to Oregon from Tahiti, and she arrived just in time to be with me for the whole 9 yards of over a month and a half of practically living in the VA hospital. She was my right arm, she did all the running and things that I no longer could do, and I was still driving and reporting in for tests and treatments and all the things that were coming down and I had started loosing weight very fast. Just before the colon surgery. The surgeon I had was a middle aged German Lady and I would march into Hell with her if she asked. She saved my life by removing over a meter of my colon and gave me my life back by not installing a colonostmy bag...
By this time I was down to under a hundred pounds, and not sure if I were going to make it home. (My wife and family had decided that I was coming home no matter what as I have grandkids who barely knew me. To make a long story short, my wife did all the boxing and packing of my personal effects putting everything in a 20ft container along with doing the inventory for customs and preparing the shipping documents. We left PDX on the morning of the 4th of July arriving home on the morning of the 5th.
I am back home at present and am under control of the French Medical System, I have gained back all of the weight that I had lost, and am still gaining a little more slowly but surely. I still do not have the strength that I had in 2008, but I am working on it. I still am a geek, and proud to be one. My hobby is photography, and as long as I can control the glaucoma, I will continue to do what I like best.
Being on the island of Raiatea, makes for interesting photo shoots almost daily. I thought that I might share a photo with you today and use this blog to show you the beauty of French Polynesia its people and its culture and Scenery, oops, I almost forgot our flowers.... I am hoping that this is the place for that sort of thing, as I don't do videos....
Our Flowers
Our People
Our Island
You want more lemme know.....
Comment
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Comment by Josh on February 17, 2010 at 9:49am -
Yeah I know French Polynesia isn't Maui but just don't know what they'd call it there.
20 mm huh? God I'd like to fire off a few rounds of that. A friend of mine comes from a big military family. His Father was just recently in Afghanistan. He kinda got me into weapons. They have some property we used to take the assault rifles to in Northern Michigan. Pretty nice peaceful place back in the woods. Well peaceful until we show up.
I have an sks, I'm sure you know that one. He has the real deal though. He has about 5 assault rifles. Including an M1 carbine with the paratrooper folding stock. Its pretty good fun just shootin some trees out there. My sks is cool too. I have an all black folding stock for it. Nice flash suppressor that totally cuts the muzzle climb out. Also a 50 round clip. Nothing though as fun as a 20 mm. God that thing would pack a punch I can imagine.
Its fun to watch grown men turn into 10 year olds in front of your face up there. Still though I mostly shoot the canon rebel.
Anyways, Have a wonderful trip my friend. Don't eat the red berries. Lol.
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Comment by Ken Jackson on February 16, 2010 at 4:26pm -
Josh, that Maui Wowi is way north of us. We're in the southern hemisphere straigt south of Hawaii around the same distance south of the equator that Hawaii is north. I planned on takin a little just in case of snake bite also better to watch the heavens with at nite.. The top is really great we have these little streams running down the slopes of the crest and pooling in the terraces they have formed over the thousands of years these terraces are covered with pandanus, guavas, aito and other plants and trees. We will make camp in one of these spots where we can put up our covers and tents to keep us fairly dry. I plan on taking up several large plastic bags for storing lenses and cameras off the ground and out of the rain... My nephew that is in the French Army Radio Operator and 20mm gunner in a troop transport tank, is home on leave and he wants to spend a few days on the top of the mountain. We have been talking military stuff ever since he came home, he will be advanced to Corporal E4 when he goes back next month. Then it's off again to Chad or Kosovo... Great kid, and he makes me very proud. He has 2 1/2 yrs under his belt and 12 and a half to go if he wants to stick it out for retirement... but the way the world is, I would be going home if I were him...
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Comment by Josh on February 16, 2010 at 8:38am
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Well good luck on your hike man. Sounds awe inspiring.
My father and 3 uncles are Vietnam Vets and also my brother is a Desert Storm Vet. Grand Father also was in WWII. Long line of warriors I guess.
I'll be watching this post. When you get back drop a line and share some pics from the top of the world. Have a nice trip. Don't forget your glaucoma meds ;) Lol. Or I guess they call it Muai wowi down there.
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Comment by Gibson on February 15, 2010 at 11:40pm -
Ken! YOUR A TRUE GEEK, and Patriot.
Don't know ya but after reading that, your story is amazing, i am much proud...for some reason....
lol :) You fought well legacy-geek! i consider you an elder cus im only 18 lol. My Mom's boss, or one of her bosses good shape and all, went for a colonoscopy they found a tumor, colon cancer startin to grow, they removed the WHOLE COLON, but he's fine now....god does life throw crap at us but we just gotta fight
and people like you are that motivation!
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Comment by Ken Jackson on February 15, 2010 at 8:16pm
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Welcome Home Brother!!
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Comment by Ken Jackson on February 15, 2010 at 1:35pm
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Thanks Josh
I too, am positive.. I have lived too long to be negative and after have spent the better part of 5 years in the nam during the 60's, I am sure that it is going to take something stronger than cancer to do me in. Here at home we have some of the best medical support in the world. I was very fortunate in the fact that my surgeon in PDX VA Hospital was Dr. Rehm... Down here I have been prodded, poked run thru scanners had ultra sounds and eye tests and so far all is normal, no cancers showing on any of the tests... Being that today is the Chinese New Year, and the beginning of the Year Of The Tiger and I being a "Tiger" I plan on climbing our Sacred Mountain and spending a week camped out on the top. I hope to take my notebook and plenty of flash memories and charged batteries for my Nikons (I am going to haul both the D70 and D200 and enough lenses and filters for a pack mule.... Gonna be fun...... I know that I won't be able to blog from up there. But when I get back I should have enough to Blog for a month... Our island is "The Sacred Isle" of Polynesia. It's original name was Hava'iki Nui, and is where the Hawaiian people came from. We have the Marae of Taputapuatea, which is the most profoundly sacred place in Oceania, lots of history and legends from a people who were in the stone age 250 years ago, but sailing an Ocean that was unknown to the western world when the westeern world was still exploring the Med and the eastern atlantic...
I know that it is magical for me, I get goose bumps when I am on top looking out at Bora Bora, Huahine, Tahaa, Maupiti and Tupai.. The weather there changes minute to minute.. It is amazing and perhaps I can convey some of that magic and feeling with my writing..... We're gonna try....
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Comment by Josh on February 15, 2010 at 11:00am
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I had an uncle that had to have most of the colon removed. He lived for a very, very long time after. He was an amazing man. I never once saw him get upset, or shed a tear, or feel sorry for himself . He laughed and joked even when things where tough. I think that is the reason he made it so long. They actually had to take most of his colon out though. So his recovery was kinda stifled by the fact he no longer could absorb nutrients the same way say, my body can.
In no way am I trying to bring you down or make you fear. I just know his case was quite extreme yet he had a nice life even though. He was my Dads brother and best friend. My father used to ask me "what will I do when my brother goes?" Well my Dad ended up dying first. He past 4 years ago in a carbon monoxide accident in his RV. Him and his wife. My uncle past maybe 6 months after him.
My point is when he was fighting and in a positive mindset, he lived quite well. With almost no colon mind you. When his best friend and brother past, he gave up. It was quick too.
SO NO MATTER WHAT, STAY POSITIVE, AND DON'T LOSE YOUR FIGHT YOU HAVE IN YOU. You will live long and well. I know this to be true. I know I look young but, I witnessed this first hand.
Also those Islands you live on will for sure help in staying positive. Nice pics too by the way... I shoot canon and also have a fully manual konica to keep me sharp. Good luck man.
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Comment by Reagar on February 14, 2010 at 8:47pm -
Holy crap... that"s a lot to take in... i was expecting something completely different from this post. And I'm very glad i read this post, you my friend are a veteran to this site, and will continue to be one for more years to come. Brave as you are, I hope you make a full recovery.
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Comment by LADYTECH on February 14, 2010 at 9:37am -
May the lord continue to bless u in your healing process. I'm glad that through all your adversities your still in this world. Stay strong as you may already know, the Lord is by your side.
Awesome graphics. Keep em coming. I love pics of beautiful scenery or flowers (hint). giggles.
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Comment by Ken Jackson on February 14, 2010 at 3:17am
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On my digitals, I use Nikons. I have a D200 and a D70 the 200 is my normal shooter and the D70 is set up with a bellows and a pair of 50mm's with the 2 lenses tied facing each other to use for macro work. I bought my daughter a Easy Share and my wife has a Canon and I also have a Canon Video but I let my daughter and her husband use those. I am a still photog I leave the movin pitcher stuff for the younguns As far as lenses go i got a back pack full of Nikon and others to fit the Nikons. I also have 5 film cameras here one Olympus SLR, One Canon SLR, One Minolta SLR and 2 Zeis 120 TLR's
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