NEO
 

Great news! Hoping to see you soon.

The Long & Winding Road
 

Well, it looks as though the end is nigh; the end of this hellish journey that is. Two days ago I was told by my consultant that far as he is concerned I'm in remission.

I'm slowly gaining weight and strength, the "food list" is getting shorter (that's the list of things that give me a reaction, ie puking and/or s**ting through the eye of a needle), so all in all things are on the up and up.

I now have to wait for the MDC (multi disciplinary committee) to formally endorse the consultants conclusion. Once that is sorted it'll be back to work. Believe it or not, and I never thought I'd ever say it, I can't wait ! Just the ability to move on, make plans and get on with life, albeit with a radically changed outlook and perspective, is something very valuable to me now.

To all those who stayed in touch, whether once, occasionally or many times with messages of support and encouragement, I offer my lifelong (literally) gratitude and loyalty. To those who dropped me like a stone for whatever reason, thank you for making my Xmas card list so much shorter and cheaper.

All the best to all Rotorheads. :ok:

NEO

My dear chap,
Great news. Now get back to work.;)

Glad to hear it.....but with the impending "All Nigerian" plans...you thinking of staying in the UK this time or some other tropical paradise other than Nigeria?

Sas,

What other tropical paradise ??? You mean there is another ? What have I been missing all these years ?! ;)

Thanks Alan. Not all of us can bask in retirement quite yet...........

NEO

Happy to hear you are on the path of recovery!!!! Been following your thread. I feel with you. I once thought I contracted something until it turned out not to be.

Cheers,

Alouette:ok:

Great news, NEO!
If you do end up back in Nigeria, I would be honoured to meet you.
(If I haven't already done so, that it:ok:)

ul
 

Nigeria is where I'll be headed. We'd have to identify each other ! I have no issues in that regard, I guess almost everyone who knows me as NEO also knows who I am.

NEO

Bags Packed
 

It's a go; flight booked, room sorted (I hope), back to work and another psychological hurdle cleared. Just in time to escape the cold weather !

Not sure if it's a good or bad thing, but I'll have less time to read PPrune....... But then if it went on much longer I may have ended up like Sasless :uhoh:

Best wishes to all.

NEO

Great news, in a going back to Nigeria kind of way! Take care

Don't ask me to get you of jail again.....like the first time we met!;)

Selective Memory ?
 

Sas, that's not how I remember our first meeting ? Whatever the circumstances, you spend so much time posting on PPrune you wouldn't have time for anything else !

Perhaps you should get out more ? ;)

NEO

Good luck NEO. Keep your head down - its a jungle out there.

Good News
 

Good & Bad
 

Thanks guys. Perverse I know, but I'm looking forward to getting back in harness.

Sad news today about the Yobe agricultural college massacre.

NEO

Superb news!, strap the kids in Martha NEO's back!!
Best Of luck Shag
S

Who Are All These People ?
 

Been back for a week, staying in the "Centre Of Excellence", and after 18 months of hell it feels great ! Straight into a huge "go slow" from the airport, a different one each day with no rhyme or reason, nothing has changed. Great stuff !

The names being bandied about leave me a bit bewildered; new pilots and engineers I've never heard of. Fortunately there are still plenty of people familiar to me, at least enough to make me realise that although there has been an expansion the "sweats" are still lurking, waiting for my beer appetite to return !

The couple of legacy issues caused by the treatment and operation are diminishing, but it's going to take time. No surprise there, I was warned they would be around for at least as long as I had the cancer.

I was thinking, we can only truly base our opinions on personal experience, not those of others which may inevitably be biased one way or another. In that vein people can say what they like about my employer (and often do), on here and other fora/platforms, but as far as I'm concerned they have been truly outstanding. Throughout the 18 months of hell I passed through their loyalty and support has been unstinting and never missed a beat.

Now I have a life to look forward to my loyalty to them is sealed; they'll have to chuck me out to get rid of me because to use the old, hackneyed cliche, I won't have a word said against them. There are names I could name (one in particular), but this is not the place for that; they know who they are which is the most important thing.

Safe flying people, thanks for all the support.

NEO

NEO great post and if I could humbly suggest, you should name them!! It sounds like they deserve the recognition for what they have done for you.

Safe flying.

DB

NEO, I don't know you, had never even heard of you before reading this thread, but having, as one does at this age, a number of friends suffering from this terrible disease, some of whom are sadly no longer with us, I read through it. From the lows to the highs, you never lost hope, you never gave up, you never showed any bitterness, and have made a full recovery thanks to your own bravery and the love and support of those around.

Wonderful to read a story with a happy ending, I only wish there were more so. My best.

Support
 

DB & Capetonian,

Thank you. I could waste everyone's time and bore people with the gory details, but suffice to say the cancer was made less routine (if there is such a thing) by various knock-on complications. These are the issues that have left me with legacy symptoms which are going to take time to clear.

Your suggestion that I could name those who stood by me in various ways has merit, however I'm not sure they would unanimously agree. So to emulate what I've seen on other threads I'll use initials and try not to miss anyone out.

First and foremost, my sons Matthew and Andrew who were absolutely indispensable. Without them I am almost 100% sure the outcome would have been different. They both suffered with me, one with his own PTSD as a result of Afghanistan service (thankfully now sorted), the other with stress purely as a result of my condition. Then in no particular order: BC, AO, BS, BE, MI, RA, NC, YS, SS, LM. There were others but these were the primary people, either by actions, words or both who helped keep me going. I won't be clarifying for those who can't work out who they are !

Cheers and best wishes to all.

NEO

Seasons Greetings
 

As I prepare to return to Nigeria for my second stint following remission my thoughts are with those less fortunate who over the years have succumbed to the disease which I was fortunate to survive, and those still suffering/fighting.

To you in particular and all those who support, encourage and care for you, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a New Year full of hope and recovery. Never lose hope, never lose faith in yourself and those around you and never admit defeat.

In addition my greetings and wishes to all in the industry and all Ppruners !

Cheers and Best Wishes,

NEO

Merry Christmas NEO - enjoy it and all the rest that follow!

Seasons Greetings Old Lad.....enjoy your new year and wish you well!:ok:

Stag on NEO.

The Evil Strikes Again
 

During my prolonged stay at the pleasure of the NHS, one of the statistics bandied around (I guess as a sort of attempt to hearten) was that 1 in 3 of the UK population will have or has had some form of cancer. Hardly cheering or encouraging.

To the many who know him therefore, and as if to go some way to corroborate this figure it will come as a great shock and concern to learn that one of my best friends, Barrie Shepherd (recently retired DHoFO), has just been diagnosed with a tumour in one of his kidneys.

He will undergo surgery early next month to remove the kidney and I am positive that like me everyone will be praying for a successful outcome. I plan the majority of my next time off being his tea boy, cook, cleaner, companion or whatever he wants/needs.

Barrie has always been a fit and healthy guy, which only goes to show that this evil disease has no friends and favours nobody.

NEO

Yes, I spoke to Barrie today. He's been such a good and true friend to so many people over the years that I'm sure everybody who knows him will, like us, be rooting for a quick and total recovery

Bugger! Hope all works out well and thank goodness for duplex redundancy!

As 212man says bugger and thankfully there is redundancy!
Barrie is a great guy and sad to see he has been diagnosed with this evil disease.
Remember what it says on the back of the Cdo medal: Courage, determination, unselfishness and cheefulness under adversity!
We are all rooting for a quick recovery Barrie!

All the very best Barrie - hope the Op goes well.

With NEO as your temporary Butler I am sure you will recover very rapidly!

Trogs

All the best Barrie and a quick recovery!

Hang in There..
 

As the others have said...All the Best and Good Health.
Thanks for the times together in Nigeria.

Time For Hope & Refelection
 

Barrie's op has been confirmed; he will undergo keyhole surgery in the first instance on 4th August. Once inside, the surgeon will assess the "spread" and if necessary remove any nasties from the tissue surrounding the affected kidney.

I am sure my rejoinder is unnecessary however I appeal to all to spare a moment or two to wish Barrie all the best and a swift recovery on 4th, also to reflect on the life changing effect this evil disease can have, not only on the directly "infected" but on their nearest and dearest.

NEO

Good Luck Barrie
 

Good luck Barrie. All the many friends you made during your time in Nigeria will be thinking of you and praying all goes well on the 4th :ok:

So Far So Good.....
 

Barrie's op went as well as expected given the advanced surgical techniques used these days. I am currently spending the weekend with him in between his "official" carers (ex wife and daughter), and he's active, looks as fit as ever and fully ambulatory. Some pain around the surgical site (not entirely unexpected !) and a couple of decent war story scars.

He is waiting for the biopsy results from the tissue around the kidney, but based upon my own experience if there was something bad they would have contacted him immediately, i.e. no news is good news.

I've told him that everyone who knows him (and many who don't) are rooting for him. :ok:

NEO

Good News

Please give regards

S

Thought I'd resurrect this thread to inform Rotorheads that I'm going to do something completely different, a total departure from my previous life. I've decided to train as an End of Life counsellor at the hospital that treated me. One of only four in the area.

Having seen more than a few people die (previous posts on this thread refer), many of them totally alone I got to thinking there must be a lot people who are told they've reached the end of the journey and then make the trip with nobody to provide companionship/company.

I saw for myself it is entirely possible to be lonely in a crowd. After all, Consultants, Doctors, Nurses and Health Care Assistants have a job to do and can't spend time sitting with and providing support to any patients, even the terminally ill. I was lucky, my sons never left me alone.

So I'm going to be there but only if people want me to. It's amazing (and sad) how many people have no friends or family. Not their fault.

By the way, I'm still available for advisory/audit work.

NEO

Good on ya, mate. I'm Stage IV prostate cancer so I truly appreciate the value of your work.

A very noble calling NEO - my younger brother died in 2012 from an un-treatable brain tumour and benefitted greatly from the care at a Macmillan hospice.

It was clear, as you say, that many others go there with little support in their final days and it prompted my mother to volunteer there after he had passed away.

Well done NEO - I'm sure it will be a very rewarding calling, if somewhat emotionally draining at times.

WOW. NEO. "Bravo Zulu" to you

TC