December 29, 2002

•      I recently spoke to a friend by phone, primarily to ask him how much he would charge me to fix the front end of my car. Although he is normally not much of a talker, whenever we have phone conversations, he becomes very talkative, sometimes even as much as an hour (until he admits his ear is about to fall off! ).

  
  

       This friend was a Navy Seal, & served in Vietnam. He even rode the river boats on some missions. As with many Vietnam Veterans, he suffers with depression & has buried himself away from the general public in a cabin with a gorgeous view of Mauna Kea.

  
  

       During this conversation, he told me that he recently had an X-ray of a lump on his leg. The tech determined that the lump was a result of scarring tissue, grown up around a small piece of shrapnel received so many years ago when a bullet struck near his feet. He knew he had been injured at the time, but said it was a tiny wound that barely trickled blood, so being a Seal, he didn't feel it was important enough to seek medical aid for. Besides, as he said, they didn't have Corpsmen along with them.

  
  

       I asked him if the VA is going to do anything about the shrapnel, as in remove it from his leg. His reply was that he still hasn't seen the VA doc about the finding yet. His appointment is next month.

  
  

       There are certainly hundreds, if not thousands, of other Veterans who are carrying around pieces of shrapnel in their bodies from the Vietnam War. Many of them, I'm sure, like my friend, never received treatment for it. Many more had determinations that the shrapnel is better left alone, due to its location.

  
  

       But more of what I learned during this conversation with him has me concerned. He had previously mentioned that a friend & former neighbor was diagnosed with cancer. He had said that her cancer was pretty advanced. During this conversation, he said that he recently got a letter from her, in which she told him she is terminal. Something like she'd see him 'on the other side' in the form of a joke. Suzy-Q... White Light to you!

  
  

       He had also previously told me about his mom having had skin cancer years ago. A few months ago, he told me that the cancer was back. In our recent phone conversation, he told me that his sister doesn't think their mom will make it to the end of 2002! Her body is riddled with cancer (which started as melanoma... skin cancer) & she is losing lucidity, even though they don't think the cancer has invaded her brain.

  
  

       I learned that my friend has yet to visit with his mom since this latest cancer diagnosis, even though she only lives on the other side of this island (Kawaihi District). The only radiological therapy center on this island is in Hilo, & she has been brought by her daughter for treatments. This oncology center is the same one I go to to see my oncologist.

  
  

       One of his sisters has moved in with their mom to help her out. Again, as with when he first told me about his mom's cancer return, I admonished him about not going to see her. I know he loves her. But I also know he has a hard time facing the realities of serious illnesses.

  
  

       In his own circumstance, he has had a cyst that wouldn't heal removed from his forearm. He never followed up on it & has no idea of the diagnosis of that cyst, assuming that if it were bad, they would have gotten in touch with him long ago. Last year, he had a large lump suddenly show up behind his ear. He was scheduled to go to Tripler to have it removed & biopsied, but with the same bullshit about travel to Honolulu as I have dealt with, there was no ticket for him on the day of his appointment. I had told him to keep after them before the day he was to travel, but he is not a squeaky wheel, like I am, & allowed the system to fail him. He never went. He puts the whole thing off, saying that the Oasis stuff he was taking then helped the lump to all but disappear.

  
  

      Although my friend has probably told me his mom's name, I don't remember it (my dyslexia affects my ability to remember names). So, Eric's mom, I'm also sending White Light your way as well!

  • 3:59 am
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