No matter what you read from here on in this blog, remember this: I am 100% healthy. Anyone who says anything else is feeding you some juicy gossip.
To refresh your memory, Bernie and I went to the States on May 16 for a second opinion about the kidney cancer treatment I’d had in Japan and to hear any recommendations for the future. There was the possibility that I might remain in Indiana for further treatment, but since the results of a PET scan in May showed no metastasis, the likelihood of that was very slim. As anticipated, the American doctor concurred with my clean bill of health and agreed that I only need to have regular checkups from now. Feeling like gold medalists in a marathon, Bernie and I returned to Japan according to plan and made my next appointment with the same doctor who removed my kidney on April 6. I’m feeling great and last week started exercising regularly once again. It’s almost as if I never had cancer at all.
Imagine my surprise when I called a friend in southern Japan and discovered that the news she’d heard was completely different.
“It must be really difficult, isn’t it?” she asked, her voice full of concern. I had no idea what she was talking about and told her so.
“What?” she replied, obviously startled by my puzzlement. “Where are you?”
“In Tokyo,” I laughed, wondering where the conversation was going.
“I thought you were in America getting treatment,” she explained. We were both completely confused by now.
Slowly I began to unravel the puzzle. Yes, there had been an unexplained spot on my lung, and yes, it had concerned me a little. But the doctor in Indiana identified it immediately as the aftermath of histoplasmosis, an environmental disease common in my birth state and its neighboring state to the east, Ohio. In most cases, like mine, the “victim” never even knows she’s contracted it since the body heals itself. The only evidence is calcium that is left behind after healing. Although this news had been shared happily with friends all around the world, somehow the story hadn’t been able to travel the 565 miles (900 kilometers) between Tokyo and Saga without morphing into a new version: I was battling for my life in the United States. Would I ever be able to return to Japan? I could only shake my head in wonder.
In my case, what happened with my cancer story was completely harmless. In fact, it made for a good laugh. But it’s not always so simple. Careless words and juicy gossip often wreak havoc and can cause pain for a lifetime. No wonder the Bible cautions, “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire . . . [and] no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:5, 6, 8).
To refresh your memory, Bernie and I went to the States on May 16 for a second opinion about the kidney cancer treatment I’d had in Japan and to hear any recommendations for the future. There was the possibility that I might remain in Indiana for further treatment, but since the results of a PET scan in May showed no metastasis, the likelihood of that was very slim. As anticipated, the American doctor concurred with my clean bill of health and agreed that I only need to have regular checkups from now. Feeling like gold medalists in a marathon, Bernie and I returned to Japan according to plan and made my next appointment with the same doctor who removed my kidney on April 6. I’m feeling great and last week started exercising regularly once again. It’s almost as if I never had cancer at all.
Imagine my surprise when I called a friend in southern Japan and discovered that the news she’d heard was completely different.
“It must be really difficult, isn’t it?” she asked, her voice full of concern. I had no idea what she was talking about and told her so.
“What?” she replied, obviously startled by my puzzlement. “Where are you?”
“In Tokyo,” I laughed, wondering where the conversation was going.
“I thought you were in America getting treatment,” she explained. We were both completely confused by now.
Slowly I began to unravel the puzzle. Yes, there had been an unexplained spot on my lung, and yes, it had concerned me a little. But the doctor in Indiana identified it immediately as the aftermath of histoplasmosis, an environmental disease common in my birth state and its neighboring state to the east, Ohio. In most cases, like mine, the “victim” never even knows she’s contracted it since the body heals itself. The only evidence is calcium that is left behind after healing. Although this news had been shared happily with friends all around the world, somehow the story hadn’t been able to travel the 565 miles (900 kilometers) between Tokyo and Saga without morphing into a new version: I was battling for my life in the United States. Would I ever be able to return to Japan? I could only shake my head in wonder.
In my case, what happened with my cancer story was completely harmless. In fact, it made for a good laugh. But it’s not always so simple. Careless words and juicy gossip often wreak havoc and can cause pain for a lifetime. No wonder the Bible cautions, “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire . . . [and] no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:5, 6, 8).
