hey friends and family
wanted to update ya'll as to what's been goin on lately.
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physical stuff
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finished my radiation treatment almost 2 months ago. i got zapped with high doses of xrays close to 38 times over an 8 week time span. as a result, i went through the common slew of symptoms: fatigue, skin irritation like swelling, blistering, itching, and scabbing - a lot in the nether regions (i might add...). i can't say i enjoyed the treatment, BUT, i can say it was good getting to know the oncologist and the staff at the office. good people with unique stories. :)
the peak of the pain and discomfort occurred a few days after the last day of my treatment because the adverse effects of the treatment are delayed (ie. kinda like how a sunburn burns or is sore after the actual burn). i haven't experienced much physical pain in my life (few broken bones and 2 surgeries) but i'd say that radiation burn is up there. Good times! :O
one good thing about the human body, however, is that it is quite resilient (for the most part). so, my skin healed up after a few weeks from the radiation burn and i am currently pain-free. i still need to regain my leg strength and flexibility but there isn't any pain when i stand or sit down or stretch (i suppose things we take for granted). i'm thankful to God for designing the human body to heal itself when there is some sort of incurred physical trauma. as long as the cancer doesn't come back, i should be able to resume most normal physical activities without too much trouble (minus full-contact sports and using thighmasters).
there were a few times during the healing process after the radiation had finished when i was rather frank with God and quietly cried out to Him saying, "I didn't want what you allowed to happen." i didn't necessarily get an answer nor was i expecting one. i think it was my terse way of saying that the past 9 or so months have been hard. in the end, He is God and knows what's best for me (and everyone involved) and i was still sincerely thankful for Him always being there for me.
as for next steps, i'm scheduled for a PET CT (ie. full-body scan) in mid-November to see if the cancer is still present or not. we're hoping that it's all zapped and good and gone. :)
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finance stuff
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so, as most of you know, i was expecting to have a LOT of medical debt in the near and extended future. i satirized my financial condition in my last update when i cheerfully welcomed myself into the average US citizen's predicament of debt. well, as i was getting used to the idea of having debt for the rest of my life, i needed to find out how i was going to pay off this debt and therefore was in communication with the financial group at Stanford to try and get on a 20 year payment plan or something. after playing phone tag with mr. P for a few weeks, we finally were able to connect.
if i recall, the conversation occurred a little before my radiation treatment finished. i don't remember exactly how the conversation went but it went something like this (not kidding):
mr. Yi - "hey mr. P, how's it goin? sorry we've been playing phone tag. so, what's the damage?"
mr P - "mr. Yi, after reviewing your financial assistance application and case, we determined that you would be eligible for the 80% discount for services rendered at Stanford hospital for your 2nd surgery and services thereafter."
mr. Yi - "wha...?"
(silence)
mr. P - "Yesss... you currently have a balance of zero dollars with Stanford Hospital. We will also be sending you a reimbursement check after we adjust the fees with the new discount. You should be receiving the check in the beginning of september."
mr. Yi - (silence)
mr. Yi - "sooo?............ lemme get this straight.......................... i have zeRO? balance with.. you guys?! i currently have NOH? balance with you guys?!
mr. P - "yes, mr. Yi, that is correct."
mr. Yi - "waitwaitwait......... you're TELLInggg meeEEEEE?! that i don't OWeeEEE?? you guys aaA-NY?! ma-NEY?!!!?
mr. P - "yes, that is correct. We will also be sending you a check after adjustments are made."
mr. Yi - "waitwaitwait........... i have ZeerrOO? balancE? AnnnnNNDDDD? you'll be sending me A CHECK?!??!!!
mr. P - "yes, that is correct".
mr. Yi - (silence) "that's ridiculous!! uhhhhhhhhhhh, i totally wasn't expecting this...... uhhhhhhhhhh. Thank you so much...!"
mr. P - (slight chuckle) "you are welcome mr. yi."
mr. Yi - "wowowowowow. weird!"
mr. P - "is there anything else that i can help you with?"
mr. Yi - "no. wow! thank you again!"
mr. P - "you are welcome, you have a nice day!"
mr. Yi - "thanks! you too!"
so, as i write this update email, i have zERO balance with Stanford and we actually received the reimbursement check from Stanford already.
i thank God for this blessing.
one thing that i'd like to share tho, is that, even before this blessing came to me and my family, i had arrived at a place where i was going to praise God no matter what the circumstances. i think that receiving this blessing didn't make me love God more because He's already demonstrated His love for me by sending His son, jesus, to die for me. i'm not sure if this makes sense or not. :P
one more thing that i'd like to share which i thought was pretty cool was a simple prayer that i prayed at the beginning of all this medical stuff in my life. i prayed that there would be enough.
well, i haven't calculated the exact costs of all the medical expenses, but, after a rough calculation, everything seems to be taken care of. all the donations from friends and family (thank you!!) combined with the reimbursement check from Stanford have literally taken care of just enough for all my Stanford medical expenses (ie. 1st and 2nd surgeries). i do think God works in ways we don't understand but in this case, i believe that He DID answer my prayer in that there was enough. some of the donations and the most recent reimbursement check were used to pay back my uncle and mom most of what they put in to my treatment. (btw, if you have any questions about the finances, don't hesitate to ask jason or myself because i wanna try to be as transparent as possible with what you all have entrusted me with).
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thanks!
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i wanted to thank everyone for journeying with me these past several months and being generous with your time, prayers, finances, and love for me and my family and julia.
i thank God for always being there - in the good times and bad.
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til next time
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this'll probably be my last update for at least a couple months. i'll probably send one after the results of the PET CT just to keep ya'll in the loop.
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julia's journey
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i asked julia to share her side of the story since she had written about her journey of the past several months. she isn't normally comfortable being so transparent but we both feel that God will be glorified through her story. plus, her side of the story is from the perspective of those loving and caring for those who are hurting for whatever reason. perhaps, her story can encourage some of you as you see loves ones going through disease and trials. (see attached pdf doc - not gonna publish this cuz it's public...).
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prayer requests
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just one last one for now... my buddy jose is going through chemo treatment for a really nasty cancer (mine was a walk in the park compared to his). please pray for healing of body and soul for him when you can.
with love
dennis
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