Lake Merritt, Relay for Life, San Diego Comic Con

Growing up, I always had long straight black hair. There wasn’t a particular reason why I kept it long; it’s just the way it was. Contrary to belief, when a patient undergoes chemotherapy, all of hair doesn’t immediately fall out at one time. Rather, the hair falls out in clumps over the span of a couple of weeks, making it a drawn out and emotionally painful process. 

The first time I underwent chemo, it took me about three weeks before I actually decided to shave my hair. There was just a point where I felt completely helpless and depressed about my situation, and I wanted to take control and do something about it. 

Initially, I was extremely worried that I had hastily compromised my femininity, and beauty. I had difficulty accepting myself, and every time I looked in the mirror, all I saw were my flaws. The last thing in the world that I wanted was for people to look at me differently, and worst of all feel sorry for me.

What I discovered was that everyone still loved me, and accepted me for who I was. With their support, my insecurities shrunk and my confidence grew. I was so comfortable with who I was, that I went to San Diego Comic Comic Con (SDCC) dressed as myself. Among the crowds of people dressed in costume, it was nice to feel normal and just be me.

There are so many different views on what beauty is because everyone is unique. Love and respect yourself for who you are, and not for what you think other’s definition of beauty may be. We are good enough, and we are worthy of being loved.

City Beach, Fremont CA

Our cousins, Kim and Nam, visited us all the way from Calgary, Canada. 

The Rock Gym has 16,000 sq ft of climbing, 9 auto-belays, and one monkey.

Kim made it to the top!

Even though it had only been one week since my VATS procedure, I still wanted to rock climb.

Since I was still recovering, we decided it'd be better if we angled 

the camera so it looked like I was climbing. Don't I look like a pro? 

Ooo La La La Nam.

Kim just hanging around. 

Lake Merritt, Oakland CA

In 1870, Lake Merritt was designated as the United States' first official widlife refuge. 

A total of 62 storm drains and 8 creeks flow into this tidal lagoon. 

We unsuccessfully attempted to pedal the lake's 3.4 mile circumference.

At least it was a nice and sunny day, and we had a great workout.

Phong doing an excellent job steering the paddle boat. 

Relay for Life, Oakland CA

In Loving Memory of Eric "Jamie" Schou

Our team, Rising Stars raised over $14,000. That was the most ever for our team.

We walked for 24 hours- 142,800 steps, or 67.5 miles.

Luminarias with names of our families and friends lined the track. 

Thank you to all of my sponsors for your efforts in the fight against cancer. 

I couldn't have done this without you!

San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), San Diego CA

On our way to pick up our badges, we saw American Horror Story: Coven promoting 

their latest season. I couldn't resist a photo with one of my favorite TV shows.

Over 130,000 people attended the SDCC 2014. We avoided Hall H like the plague.

The Exhibit Hall had 460,000 square feet of exhibitors, artists, and fan tables. 

Phong's Kidrobot Futurama Blind Box contained Zapp Brannigan.

Be careful of Edward's Scissorhands. 

Who knew botanists could be so sexy?

"My precious."

Every year we watched LOTR or The Hobbit for my birthday.

I can't wait for The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies coming out this December!

My first celebrity sighting was Riki LeCotey from Heroes of Cosplay. 

She was nice enough to let me take a bathroom selfie. 

C is for cookie. 

Shredder has nothing on me. 

In comparison to all the Sailor Scouts, Tuxedo Mask was by far the dreamiest.

Too bad they didn't have his action figure. 

In the famous words of Tony the Tiger, "They're Gr-r-reat!"

Comics of Future Past: Constructing Race, Space, and Identity Through the 

Visualization of EthnoSurreal discussed how the "self" is defined in narratives 

and the challenges to reimage socially constructed ideas regarding racial identity. 

Thank you for another wonderful year SDCC. See you in 2015!

Lassen NP - VATS

Although the five cycles of chemo had drastically reduced the nodules in my lungs, I still needed surgery to completely remove it. For many types of cancer, mine included, surgery offers the greatest chance of being cured.

The Deep End: Killer Surgery by Tyson Cole

Normally patients wait a few weeks after chemo before having surgery. Allowing the body to recover from the side effects of the chemo, and being in peak shape before surgery gives patients the best possible outcome.

As a result, Andrew and I thought it'd be nice to go to Lassen National Park the weekend before going under the knife. My parents, especially my Mom, wasn't too thrilled at this idea, and preferred that I stay home and take it easy. They were concerned that should something happen during the trip, my surgery would be delayed. I took their advice into careful consideration, but ultimately I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity being healthy, and live my life fully. This meant camping for three days at Lassen National Park, and hiking a total of 25 miles.

4.5 weeks after I finished my fifth chemo cycle, I finally had my video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) procedure. The surgeon performed a wedge resection of my lung, removing 0.4 cm from my right lower lobe.

For the most part, the surgery went well. Unfortunately, my surgeon did encountered adhesion of the lungs to the chest wall, which may have been the result of sepsis or chemo treatments. In any case, it proved to be challenging to separate, and resulted in some microtears of the lung. These microtears cause air leaks from the lung, and usually heal within a few days. I wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible and return to my normal life, so I used my incentive spirometer religiously, and went on lots of walks around the hospital floor to help speed up the recovery progress. In the end, all the hard work paid off and I was able to leave the hospital in three days, a personal best!

Since being diagnosed with cancer on February 14, 2011, I've had a total of: 3 MRI studies, 9 CT scans, 14 surgeries, 35 radiation therapies, 97 chemotherapy treatments, and 160 hospital admissions. 

The body is truly an amazing machine!

Lassen National Park, Mineral CA

All four types of volcanoes found in the entire world are represented in Lassen 

Volcanic National Park. Volcanoes found in the park include shield (Prospect Peak), 

plug dome (Lassen Peak), Cinder Cone (Cinder Cone), and Composite (Brokeoff Volcano). 

Lassen Peak (5 miles; 4-5 hours; 1957 ft elevation gain)

Lassen Peak is named for Peter Lassen, a Danish blacksmith, who in 1844,
gained a Spanish Land Grant on land near Vina along the Sacramento River. 

It was created about 27,000 years ago when pasty dacite lava was
extruded upwards. The massive lava spine is known as "Vulcan's Eye".

On May 22, 1915, Lassen Peak erupted, creating the larger and deeper 

of the two craters seen on the summit today. The 30,000 feet column 

of ash and gas was visible as far away as Eureka, 150 miles to the west. 

The trail steepens into a series of switchbacks along a rocky ridge
 to the summit. With an elevation of 10,462 ft. above sea level,
winter conditions can persist through the summer months!

From the summit, we saw five separate biological provinces, the Cascade Range, 

Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, North Coast Range, and the Great Basin. 

The glacial water was truly spectacular. 

Cold Boiling Lake (1 mile, 45 mins)

Cold Boiling lake is named because gas bubbles 

are continually rising at some points near the shore. 

Kings Creek Falls (3 miles; 2 hours; 700 ft elevation gain)

The large roaring 50 ft. high waterfall is draped in ferns and other 

green plants which thrive off the mist generated by the falls. 

Emerald Lake 

Emerald Lake is a shallow glacial u-shaped bowl (cirque) lake cut into the base of Ski 

Heil Peak by the quarrying action of ice. In summer, sunlight warms the bottom 

(and water) enough for green algae to grow, creating its emerald-green color. 

Sulfur Works

In 1865, Mathias B. Supan bought the mineral rights and extracted and refined the ore

it into a variety of products such as bricks, earthenware, dye, and mineral baths. Today, 

the steam and sulfuric gasses rise (and can be smelled) from the fumaroles (steam vents).

Pluck and Carry

This glacial erratic, a boulder out of context, was carried and 

dropped here as a result of the the rearranging forces of glaciers. 

Bumpass Hell (3 miles; 2 hours; 300 ft elevation gain)

Bumpass Hell is the largest concentration of hydrothermal features in the park.

 It was named after an early settler who fell through a hot springs crust, and 

was severely burned. Avoid making the same mistake, and stay on the trail.

Brokeoff Mountain (7.4 miles; 6 hours; 2,600 ft elevation gain)

The trail climbs steadily through open meadows and forest for two miles 

and then through scattered hemlocks and finally above timberline to the top. 

It was one of the toughest trails in the park, but the view of Lassen Peak, Conard, 

Chaos Crags, Diller, Mt. Shasta, and other mountains of the vicinity was so rewarding.

Hot Rock

This enormous 30 ton rock came from the summit of Lassen Peak. The inside temperatures

of these larger lava chunks were probably in excess of 1,000°F, and took months to cool. 

Manzanita Lake (1.8 miles; 1-2 hours)

Manzanita Lake is home to a variety of birds, fish, wildflowers, and wildlife. 

Watch out, here comes Andrew and his short shorts. 

Lily Pond Nature Trail Loop (1 mile; 1 hour)

Lilly Pond lived up to its name.

Reflection Lake (0.6 miles; 30 mins)

Reflection Lake lived up to its name.

VATS

"I bring you peace and love." - Mr. Burns