Why Kinda?

Mr Rogers famously said - look for the helpers.

And the helpers I have found are why "kinda" is in the title.

In October I went into the hospital at Yokosuka to have an enlarged lymph node checked.
Today I am sitting in Virginia doing the last bits prior to treatment.
What happened in between makes it not sooooo bad.
October the PCP refers me to ENT. Things progressed to a biopsy and we just wait for news. In the mean time, Christmas. When the news finally came back I have cancer, my coworkers have been 100% supportive. My entire chain of command from top to bottom has been reassuring and ensuring I focus on getting healthy. For those I shared the news with at work - they have also been amazing. Just checking up on me and looking for any opportunity to show support.
I told very few back in the US. Extra concern from so far away would turn to a burden as I would gain an additional responsibily of updating people.
I looked at cancer centers in Japan and in the US. Megan and I discussed the benefits of both. My heart said stay home and my brain said go to the US. I discussed with friends and coworkers - and I finally decided to go back to Virginia... alone.
There was an ordeal with insurance and thanks to my sister knowing people that was resolved, Appt set, Flight booked....
The night before I left, we went out to dinner as a family.

I messaged Jimmy to see if he could pick me up from the airport and he agreed without hesitation.

I crashed at his place that night and he gave me to keys to his work truck for as long as I need it saving me thousands in rental car expenses.

The next day I drove to Richmond to meet with my new ENT doctor. Since then it has been me and my sister scheduling appts and trying to get everything together to make the treatment plan.
But my life is not just here in Virginia. My wife and kids are continuing in Japan. So many people have been offering help and I could not be happier with the support.
Another amazing fact... my already cynical humor has graduated to a new level of darkness! This is a superpower I didn't know or expect I would ever get. It is a gift! :D So if you already thought my humor danced on a fine line - you may not want to be around me right now. :D
For those finding out about my situation now - I didn't try to hide that I had cancer, but I also did not want to blasted it out. Everyone I tell will want an update. Everyone I need to update soon will become a stressor for me. So here we are with a blog.