Battling cancer hard - if I win, I'm rewarding myself with an ACR-E

[Martin]

Title about says it all. And, short story is that cancer sucks. Two surgeries in June, and five-day-a-week, six or seven hours a day chemo this month, and I need something to look forward to when I beat this. All I can say is that my '97 GTS was the car that I promised myself if I could get through Grad School and get a decent job, it worked, and that was a serious motivator. Decided today that I'm going to do it again despite the financial challenges - you only live once.

I'm not the type to share my health issues on a public forum, but since my pride has literally been stripped of me through this series of procedures, getting it out in the open and hopefully getting the ability to talk about it and hear from others that went through a similar experience has got to be a good thing. It's been a very humbling experience.

Found out today that my white blood cell count is in the 500 range, so I'm basically the "boy in a plastic bubble" for a while. Not much fun, but it is what it is.

This is one of those situations that sucks ass so bad that I'm proud of myself that I'm keeping a positive attitude and actually thankful that I got cancer - it really puts life into perspective, and the stupid little things that stressed me out over the years are a total waste of time to stress about (in hindsight of course). Wish I knew it at the time, but hindsight is 20/20.

I will beat this, and hopefully lurking this forum for a long, long time.

[Terminator02]

Martin I'm praying for you and I admire your courageous attitude and mindset. Positivity goes a long way and it sounds like you are doing all the treatments. If you don't mind sharing what type of cancer and how did you find out, your grad school reference makes me think you are young. Hang in there champ! I'm a therapist by trade so if you ever need to vent more privately just shoot me a pm. Remember to be kind to yourself and rely on your social supports. That viper will be yours!

[Martin]

I guess I'm young - but I was one of those "born again students" and didn't start college until I was in my 20's. Unfortunately, I got diagnosed the day after my 50th birthday - and that was weird timing. I got extremely sick during an international business trip, and toughed out that trip and another a few days after returning home. Decided to go to the doctor as soon as I could get an appointment, and they did blood tests that showed cancer markers in a big way. Next thing was CT scans, and that found some massive lymphoma tumors in my abdomen.

The cancer diagnosis was just the beginning - I was scheduled to go on another trip (I'm an exec at a high tech startup) and I had to cancel the trip due to chemo. The first day of chemo, I got a letter from my company informing me that I no longer had a job because I couldn't perform my duties - despite a letter from my doctor saying that I should be able to handle most everything except the crazy travel schedule. It's hard to travel when you're hooked up to five bags of chemo treatment.... That sucked - I have a typical Silicon Valley mortgage, and times are definitely going to get rough very soon.

But, finances aside, I'm going to get that ACR-E if I make it through this. I had a Gen IV ACR that I fell in love with, and despite all the doom and gloom floating around about the Gen V problems, at least it isn't cancer :) I can live with some mechanical issues that might pop up from time to time - they're all fixable.

[Chorps]

Good luck Martin. Sucks that your job decided to ditch you, I really hope to see you in an ACR-E soon. Keep on fighting.

[TrackAire]

Best of luck and a speedy recovery for you Martin. Our thoughts are with you.

Pass the time by thinking about what color and options your new ACR-E will have and then take a lot of mental trips in it to start enjoying it now while you're getting better....heck, imagine racing it at your favorite tracks too!!

Again, best wishes.

Cheers,
George

[plumcrazy]

cancer does suck. theres nothing i hate more actually. good luck and keep us posted on it !

[dewilmoth]

What kind of shitty human fires someone on day one of their cancer battle? Sorry to hear about your situation, but modern medicine is amazing. Fight your ass off and get that ACR-E!

[ViperJon]

Best wishes Martin. When you hear someone with a story like yours it puts all our little day to day travails in perspective. Meaningless. Hang in there.

[mikesax]

Good luck with all your upcoming treatments Martin- hoping every turn will lead to the quickest recovery!

[Coloviper]

Best wishes for a successful recovery Martin. My closest friend (between golf and tennis ball sized) brain tumor and one of my long time employees (leukemia) just beat cancer. My employee went in for a test after a severe headache on a Friday and the next day spent 6 straight weeks in the hospital for two rounds of different chemos. Is now home (no immune system yet) and undergoing stem cell bone marrow transplant. He should be back in action by December. He is on short term disability for the time being.

I am not a lawyer but ran my own business of 225 employees for 15 years before selling it. I work as an engineering exec at a private company now but we would never fire an employee for a life event. Legally whatever but morally, never do it. I am pretty sure there are medical leave act laws to protect you. I would be going after that company with gusto. The hell with them and they deserve to never get beyond start up status pulling a move like that. Special place in hell for individuals like that.

Now the car, great to have a goal.

Me, my 16 week cough turned out to be Acid Reflux, which we are treating with meds but something is causing it. Blood tests show no anomalies but further tests show an ulcer and "other" stuff. Other stuff will be verified in an endoscopy in September after our daughter is born in the next two weeks. C word came up as a potential possibility but nothing to verify yet. Hell I am only 42 yrs old. After all the intense medical problems I have had the past 11 years, I sure hope not.

Good luck with your treatments. Your attitude is so positive. I am freaking out about everything in my life at the moment. Only good thing is my life insurance is at high enough levels that my family will have to not worry about the financial part if something happens to me.

[Leslie]

My prayers to you Martin! You sound like a survivor, you can do this!
I am caregiver to my sister in stage 4 lung cancer. She was given an expiration date of 6 mos. That was 4 yrs.ago! She got very aggressive on organic eating and supplements.

[Boba Fett]

Extraordinary outlook. I sincerely hope you will beat this and get that ACR!!

[Topplayer]

Look forward to seeing you in that ACR running a muck on track!!!

[SSGNRDZ_28]

Best of luck, looking forward to seeing your new ACR E. Keep a positive attitude it makes a huge difference. Screw your ex company. What color scheme are you going with?

[7TH_SIGN]

Praying for you Martin! Stay strong brother, we are all here with you man. Kick the crap out of that cancer. Can't wait to see your new Viper!

[jaxtk]

Good luck Martin, my prayers are with you, you can make it through this, positive attitude and goals are the key.

[Canadian venom]

Keep fighting Martin!!!

[Vibert]

It's a life-changing event to receive such a diagnosis. I can't imagine what it's like. However, there are many forms of lymphoma that are highly responsive to chemo. Please maintain your positive outlook. It's extraordinarily important, as has been proven by several studies. Be strong. Endure. Keep informed. Be an active member of your medical care team. You'll get that ACR, and everyone will be thrilled when you do.

(When you get through this and your strength is back, you know what to do with your former employer)

[ViperSmith]

Best of luck

[Nambo]

My families prayers go with you Martin and I look forward to enjoying our ACR's together in the near future!

[38D]

Time to start thinking about colors and options. And you should call one of the big three to ensure you get an allocation.


I am pretty sure there are medical leave act laws to protect you. I would be going after that company with gusto.

FMLA (family medical leave act) require company's to give 12 weeks of unpaid leave and give your or a similar job back.

[Whitey]

My prayers go out to you and your family.

Strength and honor!

[Martin]

Thanks everyone - this is a great community. I haven't been too active with the Viper community ever since the VCA debacle was underway - I was one of the first members of that club, and it rather disgusted me to see what it degraded into. Also, after crashing my Gen IV ACR, I've kind if laid low :) That was a humbling experience... It'll be good to get back into active membership again.

One suggestion to anyone out there that works in the startup world, or is self-employed - get as much private disability insurance as you can, as soon as you can. I screwed up and passed on a reasonably priced policy about ten years ago because I was too busy to go through their medical exams. Then, I screwed up by letting an offer for a guaranteed "no medical exam" policy discount expire and I was too much of a cheap ass to pay the higher premium (their agent refused to honor the expired quote, so I took the low road and just said screw it).

The situation with the employer really irked me. There were definitely politics involved, and the fact that they hired me to lead the sales team to meet some pretty lofty goals - and the product release date kept slipping. What was supposed to be General Availability in June is now "estimated" at October/November - so me getting cancer was the perfect excuse to cut their burn rate while they attempt to get the product finished. Good luck to them - they're at the end of a $15MM Series A that they got two years ago, and they're going for Series B right now.

Unfortunately, FMLA and ADA don't apply (their lawyer spent quite a bit of time explaining that to me) because of the limitations built into those acts. I told them they handled the situation unethically, but the reality was that it's totally legal - and this is a VC funded start-up and we all know what that means.

I'll be in the chemo chair at the infusion center from 9 to 5 every day next week, and I'll definitely be playing with colors and options. I originally wanted to recreate my GTS Blue and Black Gen IV ACR, but I might do something different this time around. Loved that color combo, but all kinds of new color combos are crossing my mind.

Thanks again everyone - it's great to hear good vibes from you all.

martin

[Terminator02]

I went from a black to orange. As everyone says, when black is clean there's no better. Well it's even more true because venom black and prefix paint has no orange peel. It shows everything. I was washing my car every day and could see new marks so easily. I'm so glad I don't have black. My orange has swirls that need a stage one Polish and Cquartz over it but I'm not in a hurry like I was my black car to fix the dealer swirls because it's just not noticeable. Have fun with the paint schemes or even create a paint scheme like some members have done. Matte options are really cool too. Have an excellent day and remember you can pm me whenever you want for whatever reason you want. Peace.

[ViperPete]

I hope you kick cancers ass and get an ACR-E Martin!

[Martin]

I hope you kick cancers ass and get an ACR-E Martin!

Thanks :) So far, it looks like I've got it on the run. At the time of diagnosis, things weren't so rosy - but as the chemo cycles progress, my bloodwork is showing virtually no signs of cancer markers. Still got to do another CT scan to see how much the tumors shrank, but things are encouraging. The doc told me that if I got this in the '80s, he would be advising me to get my affairs in order because it was pretty much a death sentence. Now, the chemo is so good that the initial prognosis was well into the 70%+ full-cure rate. With the good bloodwork results, I'm now well into the 90%+ zone.

Just got to hope I don't get any weird infections. The doc says that could be life threatening if I don't take care of it immediately. Sepsis, for example, would knock me for a loop - so no eating at Sizzler for a while.....

[viper_eddie]

Sorry to hear about your cancer troubles but sure you'll beat it and you'll have an ACR in no time! And you're totally right, this puts the small things in perspective and makes them irrelevant.

[TrackratViper]

Best wishes and prayers for a speedy recovery. As a someone who practiced law for over 30 years, I suggest you not rely on the company lawyers advice. Get your own opinion from someone who specializes in employment law and is focused on your interests. Post some photos of the ACR when you get it.

[gcrain]

First of all get an attorney immediately. You can't be fired for having cancer and you need somebody else to handle that while you focus on the cancer.

If it comes out of remission go to MD Anderson. Other than travel costs it cost no more than anywhere else. I took my father there after the local cancer hospital couldn't get their act together. They are literally decades ahead of other cancer hospitals.

If you want to post your diagnosis I will look for clinical trials. You receive additional care for free and a phase 2 or phase 3 typically have the lowest remission rates.

[Martin]

Unfortunately, CA is an at will state - you can be fired for any reason or no reason. In this case, they said they wanted me to travel internationally during a time period where I had to be on chemo, and when I told them I couldn't do it, I got the letter. Company has no PTO policy, so I couldn't lean on that. It's a long story, but I talked to my attorney and he agreed that because of the size of the company, and the way FMLA and ADA are worded, a small start-up company can act as total d-bags and get away with it.

The reality of the situation is that they're short on cash, their product delivery date slips every month, they really don't have anything to sell, so my cancer was the perfect way for them to get me off the payroll. No need for a VP of Sales when you have nothing to sell.

The stupidity of it all is they think that I'll accept a position with them once I'm recovered. They keep calling me and telling me that their plan is to re-hire me once I'm back in action. I don't think I'm too interested in working for a company that treats its key employees like that - it was absolutely disgusting the way they dealt with this. Just pulled the rug out from underneath me while I was in the throws of a very stressful life event. All in the name of "fiduciary duty to the company" and "not setting a precedent for a PTO policy that was unreasonable". To say I'm pissed is an understatement, but honestly, I just need to focus on getting better and let lady Karma do her job.

[Chorps]

Unfortunately, CA is an at will state - you can be fired for any reason or no reason. In this case, they said they wanted me to travel internationally during a time period where I had to be on chemo, and when I told them I couldn't do it, I got the letter. Company has no PTO policy, so I couldn't lean on that. It's a long story, but I talked to my attorney and he agreed that because of the size of the company, and the way FMLA and ADA are worded, a small start-up company can act as total d-bags and get away with it.

The reality of the situation is that they're short on cash, their product delivery date slips every month, they really don't have anything to sell, so my cancer was the perfect way for them to get me off the payroll. No need for a VP of Sales when you have nothing to sell.

The stupidity of it all is they think that I'll accept a position with them once I'm recovered. They keep calling me and telling me that their plan is to re-hire me once I'm back in action. I don't think I'm too interested in working for a company that treats its key employees like that - it was absolutely disgusting the way they dealt with this. Just pulled the rug out from underneath me while I was in the throws of a very stressful life event. All in the name of "fiduciary duty to the company" and "not setting a precedent for a PTO policy that was unreasonable". To say I'm pissed is an understatement, but honestly, I just need to focus on getting better and let lady Karma do her job.

Given the competition for great employees in CA, why would they do anything like this? If any of the existing employees found out what your former employer did to you, the staff would be jumping ship as fast as they can send their resumes off to other tech companies. So dumb, if the product isn't shipping yet and you had nothing to sell, why would they be demanding you travel anyhow?

Anyhow, don't want to drag you down in the dirt, those points are rhetorical, and I hope that you feel more welcome on this site with your new old Viper buddies.

[VIPERGTSRT10]

Best of luck Martin, I'm sure you'll be riding around in your new ACR in no time!

[Martin]

One thing that I think is a bit funny is that I almost wrote off the ACR-E due to the various problems people seem to be having with Gen V cars. My '97 Gen II has been bulletproof since day 1, and other than some CELs related to the exhaust system I installed, the '09 Gen IV ACR was 100% reliable. Then the Gen V comes out - and it's arguably the best Viper ever, yet all these engine and miscellaneous other problems keep getting harped on. For a while there, I thought "do I want a car that could potentially cause me grief?" Talk about a "First World Problem"....

When it comes down to it, I'm willing to deal with a few potential issues if the car makes me happy the rest of the time. I've got a whole new appreciation for the limited amount of time we have on this planet, and if I can have as much fun with an ACR-E as I've had with my Gen II and Gen IV, I really don't give a crap if something might go wrong some day. Cars can be fixed, and extended warranties are worth the cost. Sure, some things are inconveniences (I hate taking a car to a dealer to get something fixed), but compare that to the unbelievable hassle of fighting cancer, and those car-related inconveniences get lost in the noise.

I really hope I can swing it - at this point I'd welcome the luxury of being able to complain about car problems of what I think is the best all-around street legal track car in the world.

[Lawrenzo]

Thanks :)
so no eating at Sizzler for a while.....

You can eat at Sizzler as long as you stick to the salad bar and stay away from the processed meats:t0140: One of our fellow Viper buddies on the Alley sent me this information for the cancer I'm fighting- basically you'll need to radically change your diet over to a Veganesque/Ketogenic heavily plant based diet.

I have also just started seeing positive results from a Cannabis Oil protocol I started up a few months ago. If you would like more information on that drop me a PM. Stay positive and keep your chin up!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWRnma8Tet0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fM9o72ykww

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b7_e7i0pRk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ7pSXIWHrI&feature=youtu.be

[lochnessmonster]

Title about says it all. And, short story is that cancer sucks. Two surgeries in June, and five-day-a-week, six or seven hours a day chemo this month, and I need something to look forward to when I beat this. All I can say is that my '97 GTS was the car that I promised myself if I could get through Grad School and get a decent job, it worked, and that was a serious motivator. Decided today that I'm going to do it again despite the financial challenges - you only live once.

I'm not the type to share my health issues on a public forum, but since my pride has literally been stripped of me through this series of procedures, getting it out in the open and hopefully getting the ability to talk about it and hear from others that went through a similar experience has got to be a good thing. It's been a very humbling experience.

Found out today that my white blood cell count is in the 500 range, so I'm basically the "boy in a plastic bubble" for a while. Not much fun, but it is what it is.

This is one of those situations that sucks ass so bad that I'm proud of myself that I'm keeping a positive attitude and actually thankful that I got cancer - it really puts life into perspective, and the stupid little things that stressed me out over the years are a total waste of time to stress about (in hindsight of course). Wish I knew it at the time, but hindsight is 20/20.

I will beat this, and hopefully lurking this forum for a long, long time.

I had to pull out the Kleenex Martin................... My positive energy is being sent to you from Canada.............hang in there. "Tough times never last, but tough people do." Robert Schuller.

Edit - PS Martin, my grandfather was diagnosed with stomach cancer in '93 on a Friday afternoon. The doctor told him, "We'll see you on Monday, and we'll be removing your stomach." It was a revolutionary procedure at the time. They did remove his stomach, and he is alive and well today in Lions Bay, BC, Canada. He just celebrated his 92nd birthday on July 11th, 2016. You can beat this. You can.

[CarolinaViper]

Martin,

Faith will pull you through, Faith in God, Faith in your Family, and Faith in yourself, I have a 8 year old granddaughter, that would be devastated if I was diagnosed with cancer. Our prayers are with you. These threads of support you are receiving (from members and non members) are why this club is so great, please keep us informed and as many have said, if you need to reach out to someone send us a PM

[pitdad]

God bless. Looking forward to seeing that new ACR-E Martin.

[swexlin]

Martin, my best wishes that you kick this thing! I have lost 3 of 4 immediate family members to this disease, and in addition to a couple friends, and 3 coworkers who have are had battled it!

Sounds like you have an excellent attitude, and I hope there is an ACR with your name on it shortly!

[daveg]

Get well soon... Sending Prayers and good thought your way!

[Stealth]

Best wishes for a speedy and full recovery!

You always learn the most about yourself and those around you personally and professionally when the chips are down.

You will prevail and continue to be a Champion!

[99RT10]

Good luck Martin. Cancer sucks balls, beat it! If smoking MJ (legal in Kali) will help, do it. I would chase down every Avenue of the cure as much as possible.

[XSnake]

Good luck!!! Hope you beat that terrible disease. We've lost too many to it already. The ACR-E will just be a nice bonus

[ViperPete]

Just focus on the car man. Visualize yourself taking delivery and driving if off into the sunset. Put your consciousness in the result. Not the process.

[gcrain]

Unfortunately, CA is an at will state - you can be fired for any reason or no reason. In this case, they said they wanted me to travel internationally during a time period where I had to be on chemo, and when I told them I couldn't do it, I got the letter. Company has no PTO policy, so I couldn't lean on that. It's a long story, but I talked to my attorney and he agreed that because of the size of the company, and the way FMLA and ADA are worded, a small start-up company can act as total d-bags and get away with it.

The reality of the situation is that they're short on cash, their product delivery date slips every month, they really don't have anything to sell, so my cancer was the perfect way for them to get me off the payroll. No need for a VP of Sales when you have nothing to sell.

The stupidity of it all is they think that I'll accept a position with them once I'm recovered. They keep calling me and telling me that their plan is to re-hire me once I'm back in action. I don't think I'm too interested in working for a company that treats its key employees like that - it was absolutely disgusting the way they dealt with this. Just pulled the rug out from underneath me while I was in the throws of a very stressful life event. All in the name of "fiduciary duty to the company" and "not setting a precedent for a PTO policy that was unreasonable". To say I'm pissed is an understatement, but honestly, I just need to focus on getting better and let lady Karma do her job.

It won't matter, any Doctor would certify you as temporarily disabled which means you are protected by federal law.

[Viper Girl]

Hang in there Martin! My best friend had triple lymphoma 2x in 2 years... he's doing really good now... Keep your eyes on the ACR E... you can do it too!

[ICPREY]

Be resilient and best of luck with your treatment, you'll enjoy the ACR once you're done.

[TrackratViper]

Martin

I know you have already talked to a lawyer, but you may want to talk to the Armstrong law firm in San Francisco. They handled a case very similar to yours (sales manager fired because he could not travel after cancer surgery and treatment) and had success with a state agency. The company was fined. More importantly the employee was awarded over $800,000 in damages. They will likely not charge for an initial consultation. Again the case they had sounds just like yours. Just because California is an at will state does not mean there are no limits on what a company can do.

[ViperSmith]

You aren't going to get much from a cash strapped startup to be honest...

[ViperTony]

One thing that I think is a bit funny is that I almost wrote off the ACR-E due to the various problems people seem to be having with Gen V cars. My '97 Gen II has been bulletproof since day 1, and other than some CELs related to the exhaust system I installed, the '09 Gen IV ACR was 100% reliable. Then the Gen V comes out - and it's arguably the best Viper ever, yet all these engine and miscellaneous other problems keep getting harped on. For a while there, I thought "do I want a car that could potentially cause me grief?" Talk about a "First World Problem"....

When it comes down to it, I'm willing to deal with a few potential issues if the car makes me happy the rest of the time. I've got a whole new appreciation for the limited amount of time we have on this planet, and if I can have as much fun with an ACR-E as I've had with my Gen II and Gen IV, I really don't give a crap if something might go wrong some day. Cars can be fixed, and extended warranties are worth the cost. Sure, some things are inconveniences (I hate taking a car to a dealer to get something fixed), but compare that to the unbelievable hassle of fighting cancer, and those car-related inconveniences get lost in the noise.

I really hope I can swing it - at this point I'd welcome the luxury of being able to complain about car problems of what I think is the best all-around street legal track car in the world.

Martin, godspeed to you on your battle with cancer. You'll be in my prayers. As for your employer and Karma, yes Karma will be a bitch for them. :D While it's easier said and done, don't dwell on them. Fight your battle with cancer and win! I hope you're spending a lot of time in the Concierge 1 of 1 configuration building your dream ACR-E. If I had to pick a color for you, it would stryker white. Good luck!

[adprokid]

Will pray for you, looking forward to see your ACR pictures.

[Stealth]

Martin

I know you have already talked to a lawyer, but you may want to talk to the Armstrong law firm in San Francisco. They handled a case very similar to yours (sales manager fired because he could not travel after cancer surgery and treatment) and had success with a state agency. The company was fined. More importantly the employee was awarded over $800,000 in damages. They will likely not charge for an initial consultation. Again the case they had sounds just like yours. Just because California is an at will state does not mean there are no limits on what a company can do.

+1 From another CA Attorney here. Good advice from TrackratViper.

[Martin]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes and advice. I may end up pursuing legal action on this - but I've been in enough lawsuits over the course of my life that I'd rather avoid it unless it can't be avoided.

Right now, I just want to get through this week's chemo torture and hope I'm feeling good enough to enjoy next weekend. Funny how the little things become big importances when crap like this happens.

Definitely playing with the configurator - and I'm happy to see that I can get the TA 1.0 interior in the car (I really like the Sabelt ballistic nylon seats). Bummer is that it tacks on such a huge price premium, and the good brakes are extra cost items. For the money, I might just see if I can buy the ballistic nylon seats separately and turn the nice leather seats into furniture for my man cave :)

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that Dodge announces a ACR-E that is super minimalist with the interior features. I'd be completely happy with a "super hardcore" package - less is more with these cars.

[gcrain]

You can eat at Sizzler as long as you stick to the salad bar and stay away from the processed meats:t0140: One of our fellow Viper buddies on the Alley sent me this information for the cancer I'm fighting- basically you'll need to radically change your diet over to a Veganesque/Ketogenic heavily plant based diet.

I have also just started seeing positive results from a Cannabis Oil protocol I started up a few months ago. If you would like more information on that drop me a PM. Stay positive and keep your chin up!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWRnma8Tet0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fM9o72ykww

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b7_e7i0pRk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ7pSXIWHrI&feature=youtu.be

Just an FYI but you do need to be careful about uncooked fruits and vegetables while your white count is low.

[Martin]

Thanks - you're totally correct on that. Before starting chemo, they put me through a "chemo teach" session to prepare me for the total craptastic experience, and things like undercooked meats, salad bars, anything unpasteurized, and dodgy (no pun intended) restaurants are on the no-fly list.

Last night was my first night of a minor freak out. Woke up drenched in sweat, took my temperature, and it was pretty high. The doctor put the fear of God in me and warned that if anything like that were going to happen, I should get myself to the ER because my WBC is so low. But since it was 3am, I decided to take a couple of Tylenol and see how I felt in the morning (had to go in today anyhow for more blood work, so I figured I'd chance it. Woke up at 6am and all was normal again - but I'm going to talk to the Dr tomorrow about it.

Chemo really is a bitch - I was pushing really hard for them to figure out a way to use radiation, but that just wasn't going to happen. Tumors are too big, and too close to things that would get BBQ'd by the radiation. Then there's also the risk of side-effect cancer years down the road, so I figured the rat poison was the logical approach.

Damn, this is a serious life changing experience - but strangely, it's life-changing for the better. I've always dreaded the thought of getting cancer, and now having the opportunity to face it head-on and hopefully beat it is definitely going to alter my outlook on life. I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone, but I've got to say that for me personally, it's a good thing. I was finding myself getting really sick of all the stupid little things in life that are a pain to deal with, and this cancer experience allowed me to hit the reset button on life and start fresh.

Hopefully I live to be 100... The fact that I got diagnosed one day after my 50th birthday would allow me to live a whole new life for the second half of my time on this planet.

[hova00]

Hey Martin I don't know you but wish you the best in your journey. I will keep you in my prayers and remember when you beat this cancer thing you will be able to have the plaque in your ACR-E read
FUCK CANCER!!

[plumcrazy]

Hey Martin I don't know you but wish you the best in your journey. I will keep you in my prayers and remember when you beat this cancer thing you will be able to have the plaque in your ACR-E read
FUCK CANCER!!


this is probably the ONLY time or way id let that word fly here. i hate it as much as anyone !

[Martin]

This really is a great community - I wish I could put into words how much all of your positive and supportive wishes mean to me. Thank you all so much.

[hova00]

this is probably the ONLY time or way id let that word fly here. i hate it as much as anyone !

Thanks. I wasn't sure to post it but I felt those 2 words summed it up the best.

[LifeIsGood]

You aren't going to get much from a cash strapped startup to be honest...

Payments will be coming from their insurance company.

[GTSSNAKE]

Martin, stay focused and positive and you will be ordering your new ACR very soon. I will also pray for you and that you beat it very quickly.

[Stretch]

Good luck and keep kicking ass!!!!

[Loud]

The sucks. All the best and I'm sure the ACR-E is in your near future.

A

[One Viper Bite]

Wow.

I'm only 24 years old and have lost 2 dear friends to cancer already. Your courageous and positive attitude is reassuring and inspiring...Don't give up!

Fight on, and I can't wait to see your beautiful ACR-E! There will be 2 victories to celebrate!

[Martin]

Wow.

I'm only 24 years old and have lost 2 dear friends to cancer already. Your courageous and positive attitude is reassuring and inspiring...Don't give up!

Fight on, and I can't wait to see your beautiful ACR-E! There will be 2 victories to celebrate!

Cancer definitely does suck ass - and I'm sorry for your losses. When I got diagnosed, I had just got done grieving for a two friends that I also lost to cancer recently, and that made the diagnosis all the more difficult to deal with. I knew exactly what I was in for, and it's definitely not a walk in the park.

Update on my condition - went in for two rounds of blood work over the weekend because my white blood cell count and all the other things that are indicative of the health (or lack thereof) of the immune system were "critically compromised". So, when I went in for this week's chemo torture, they said they can't do it - it would just drive my numbers further into the bad zone, and they say things are already bad enough that I really should be in the hospital. I told them that there's no way I'm going to go into the hospital with a compromised immune system - that place is a germ factory and I'm better off at home. So, they gave me a ton of antibiotics, put me on a regimen of some sort of medicine that boosts the white blood cell count, and confined me to quarters for the next few days.

Gives me some time out of that place so that I can keep writing down my must haves and "like to haves" with the ACR-E :)

[GTSSNAKE]

Martin,
Stay focused and you know the mind can really bring you down, you are a car guy and we are all head strong in our wants so use that focus on getting that ACR and enjoying it. Eat well and sleep a lot to keep strong and fight it till you get that crap out of your body.
We will keep you in our prayers so you make a very speedy recovery.

[PTP]

Post some screenshots from the 1 of 1 site when you start getting it to spec!

[Sanjar]

Martin,

I just learned about your situation and want to let you know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. I am the President of the NorCal region and would love to connect with you and help in anyways our club can. You can find my contact info on our website, http://viperclubnorcal.com/. My daughter is going through some serious medical issues right now too and I am fully aware of what this can do to you physically and mentally. Please connect so I can get in touch with you.

[Mclarengts]

Wishing you the best! And looking forward to seeing you in that ACR!

[Martin]

An update - I'm two surgeries and five weeks into intensive chemo, and the latest CT scan shows the tumors are shrinking. Doc says the tumors might not totally go away - but I shouldn't worry too much about that because they've had so long to grow that there might just be benign material left over that I'll keep with me for the rest of my life. After chemo, they'll look into doing a round of radiation to make sure they got everything.

Can't say I feel incredibly well, and it sucks to be stuck to bags of rat poison all day long during the week and surrounded by other cancer patients in the infusion center, but at least it looks like I've got this cancer on the run for now (knock on wood). If all goes well, I should be back in action in a couple of months.

Been spending tons of time trying to come up with the 1 of 1 that I want - but now I'm getting hit with med bills that are out of this world. Cancer is particularly expensive, and my former employer's healthcare sucks ass to put it mildly. If any of you dealers out there see a tall jaundiced looking hairless guy come into to showroom asking about ordering an ACR-E, go easy on me pricewise (please).

[351carlo]

Keep up the fight. When you're driving the ACR-E this will just be a bad memory.

[Martin]

I certainly hope so.... One thing I'll say is that cancer comes with a lot of ups and downs. That chemo rat poison is no joke - it really does a number on you. The biggest thing I'm worried about now is a weird phenomena known as "chemo brain" (Google it if you've never heard of it). If it is only temporary, no big deal - but I'm seriously noticing some very "senior moments" from time to time. All I can say is I'm starting to understand why they put stability control in cars these days - some of us may not have the quick reflexes that we used to have.

[ACR Extreme]

Had stage 3B - feel free to pm me.

4 years ago - after one year bought a 360 Challenge car and started racing. I also had something to prove!

Dude eat drink stay as healthy as possible - ask questions fight like hell and kick it's ass!

Don't worry about shit down the road like chemo brain etc - take care of yourself 100% day by day!

[Terminator02]

Had stage 3B - feel free to pm me.

4 years ago - after one year bought a 360 Challenge car and started racing. I also had something to prove!

Dude eat drink stay as healthy as possible - ask questions fight like hell and kick it's ass!

Don't worry about shit down the road like chemo brain etc - take care of yourself 100% day by day!

Such good advice. Again mindfulness, just stay in the moment. If you notice above, after the good news that the tumors have shrunk, some of the "lessor life worries" started to be thought about: price on acr, medical bills, cognitive issues. These are going to be blessings once you beat cancer. Because they will remind you that you are living! Just remember when you drift to the other problems, switch gears and focus on something positive, even if it's just proper breathing. You are doing great. Keep posting.

[Jdmuscle]

You will beat it and you will have your ACR and you will have an awesome smile on your face!! God is great!!!

[DanH]

Positives thoughts going your way. My mom beat it 5 years ago. Keep your spirits high and look forward to that acr. If there's anything I can do for you don't hesitate to contact me.

[allans]

Blessings....

[Martin]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes, and I apologize if I haven't PM'd anyone yet - but I do want to thank you for your generous offers to correspond. I kind of got into a funk recently, and I've been keeping to myself.

There have been a couple of times where I almost got in the car and drove down to the local dealership (on Capitol in San Jose) to check out the fit and feel of a couple of ACR-E cars that seem to be in inventory. We'll see how I feel over the next few days and if my stomach settles down a bit and I have a little energy, I might just go perusing what's out there.

Pretty sure I know exactly what I want - but it's hard to tell with the configurator on the SRT site. I'm partial to the original GTS Blue, so that's going to be in the mix - I just wish they'd make it a standard color so that I don't have to pop $2k for the custom color.

Also still keeping my fingers crossed that they announce a "super hard-core" version at the last minute. I'd really like to get one of these that has the Sabelt cloth seats and absolutely no frills. Not holding my breath on that, but keeping my fingers crossed nonetheless.

Thanks to those who shared some thoughts around my ex-employer's behavior through this. I don't know if I'll pursue anything around that, but I can't lie - my blood boils when I think about how they immediately went into CYA mode and threw a team of lawyers at me in order to get me off the payroll. Talk about slimy - I'm just getting the news from doctors that my life might be in jeopardy, and they're going on and on about how "our number one priority is your health and well being - so we're going to do you a favor and take you off the payroll so that you can focus on getting better." Then, subsequently shutting down all my access to company systems without giving me a chance to reach out to customers and give them a heads-up as to what's going on. Real pieces of "work" those people are.

[TrackAire]

Fuck them Martin.....holding a grudge is like letting somebody live in your mind rent free. You don't need them and your attitude should be it's their loss, not yours. Karma can be a bitch and will end up biting them in the ass in the end.

If you don't feel up to driving to the dealership, just say so, I'm sure we can arrange a ride to take you to the dealership if you need it. Getting your butt in an ACR may be the best medicine for you :D

Cheers,
George

[Martin]

Fuck them Martin.....holding a grudge is like letting somebody live in your mind rent free. You don't need them and your attitude should be it's their loss, not yours. Karma can be a bitch and will end up biting them in the ass in the end.

If you don't feel up to driving to the dealership, just say so, I'm sure we can arrange a ride to take you to the dealership if you need it. Getting your butt in an ACR may be the best medicine for you :D

Cheers,
George

You're 100% correct, George - and thanks for saying it. Sometimes I need a nudge to keep things in perspective, and I think the best way to deal with this is to just leave it up to Lady Karma. It just amazes me how people who you bust your ass for, and go above and beyond the call of duty for, will without any hesitation dick you over when the going gets tough. It's just not how I operate personally, but the reality is that I can't impose my own moral obligations on others. Too bad there aren't more truly good people in the world.

Little by little, I'm focusing on that ACR-E more and more - I need to keep something positive to look forward to.

[Terminator02]

If you can Martin re-reference my post last page. Mindfulness is so crucial. Expectations leads to anger and resentment. Just focus one step, minute, hour, day at a time. The past leads to depression and the future to anxiety. You posted your tumors are shrinking and that allowed negative energy to refocus on non-issues at this point. Hydration, nutrition, positive thoughts, staying only in the present are keys. Hang in there, enjoy the moment for what it is. And bad moments are exactly just that. Good and bad moments will come and go like the seasons. Be well friend.

Dave

[ACR Extreme]

Agree with Dave.

Choose your battles wisely wasting good energy and things out of your control will drain you.

It's amazing how these drugs take over all your systems - fight the fights you can win.

Your mind can do great things and heal your body but can also destroy it - take control of your life bookshelf the rest when you have the energy they will be there waiting.

Think positive stay healthy - neither of which are easy but if you accomplish those two things you get your life back.

[Martin]

If you can Martin re-reference my post last page. Mindfulness is so crucial. Expectations leads to anger and resentment. Just focus one step, minute, hour, day at a time. The past leads to depression and the future to anxiety. You posted your tumors are shrinking and that allowed negative energy to refocus on non-issues at this point. Hydration, nutrition, positive thoughts, staying only in the present are keys. Hang in there, enjoy the moment for what it is. And bad moments are exactly just that. Good and bad moments will come and go like the seasons. Be well friend.

Dave

Thanks - I definitely took that to heart. Especially the Maslow's Hierarchy aspect of it. When I first got diagnosed, I was in a daze and the first thing that went through my mind was "screw it, I'll just blow this off and avoid the nightmare surgeries and side effects that the doctors were explaining to me." Then, I got to thinking about family and friends, and the fact that I have a pretty good chance of beating this - so my thinking changed to hunkering down and fighting it. Then, I had an "oh shit" moment when I realized that none of my affairs are in order - so that took a bit of effort.

Of course, as the treatments started going better than expected, it opens up some mental bandwidth to ponder how I can get some satisfaction from sticking it to the douchebags at work who pulled the rug out from underneath me. But, there's plenty of time to do that later. For now, I need to try and stay on an even keel, focus on getting better, and hopefully by this time next summer I'll be having fun driving again.

[BlknBlu]

Martin, the Black and Blue club misses you, When you come back you getter get a Blue ACR. Take care and stay in touch

Bruce

[Martin]

Martin, the Black and Blue club misses you, When you come back you getter get a Blue ACR. Take care and stay in touch

Bruce

Better believe it! I really wish they'd just make the GTS Blue a standard color again, but I figure I can mock something up that's one small shade away from the original and pony up the $2k for the custom color. I kind of think the GTS Blue with black centerband and black driver's stripe would be pretty cool looking.

[docwviper]

Better believe it! I really wish they'd just make the GTS Blue a standard color again, but I figure I can mock something up that's one small shade away from the original and pony up the $2k for the custom color. I kind of think the GTS Blue with black centerband and black driver's stripe would be pretty cool looking.

I'm an ED physician with ties to Mayo. Reach out to me. Let's chat. Would love to text and talk to you daily about all things Vipers and help to explain the things that the physicians have been talking to you about. Neutropenic fever, neupogen, etc. If you need work I can help. Not sure it's as lucrative as your past gig but it's something once this all clears up. Keep your head up. You will beat this.

[Terminator02]

Hey just been thinking about you buddy. I saw this thread was moved and wanted to check in on you. Hope you are doing well and to let you know I'm praying for you brother. Keep me posted and post your configuration pictures!
Dave

[Martin]

Hey just been thinking about you buddy. I saw this thread was moved and wanted to check in on you. Hope you are doing well and to let you know I'm praying for you brother. Keep me posted and post your configuration pictures!
Dave

Thanks for checking in! I'm here at the infusion center as I write this - day three of this week's five day 8-hour a day experience in complete boredom. I think I might keep my configuration pics secret for now :) Last thing I need is to ponder over this build and then find out someone else did exactly the same thing at the last minute.

Hopefully if I'm feeling well, I'm going to meet with the dealer next week and iron out all the little details that the configurator doesn't address. It's amazing how many options are out there that don't show up in the configurator and you need to speak to a live human to get the job done right.

Had a scare yesterday when one of my cancer marker blood tests came back insanely high. It was one of the tests that they originally ran and it pointed them towards cancer. Long story short, it was high in the very beginning, went down after surgery, went almost down to normal during intensive chemo, and then yesterday spiked to about three times higher than it was in the very beginning. Of course, I consulted Dr. Google last night, which had study after study linking that spike to a spread of the cancer to another area, or a relapse of the original cancer. So, today they're re-running all the tests and making sure it wasn't a fluke - and if it wasn't a fluke, more tests are to come.

Still going to get that damned ACR-E, though - spent way too much time playing with the configuration tool to give up now :)

[Red Snake]

Hang tough Martin. Thats gonna one badass ACR-E. Cant wait to see pics when you bring her home.

[Chorps]

Coming in to say hi again, hope your fight is going well.

Post some screen shots of the config that you came up with. :-)

[Martin]

Another update - I can safely say that cancer and chemo is an absolute bitch... They put me on pretty high doses of Ativan to control the nausea, and of course the prescription ran out right when the holiday weekend hit and my doctor went out of town. So, I went from quite high doses of Ativan to nothing overnight - akin to quitting hard drugs cold-turkey. Last night absolutely sucked - not a wink of sleep, night sweats all night long, the shakes, dizziness when standing, severe nausea and a massive headache. Long story short, I wanted to die this morning and could barely get myself to the pharmacy this afternoon without passing out or barfing in my car on the way.

The docs warned me about this, but I figured they were over-blowing the risk - wrong on my part. That is one serious medication, and I'm going easy on it from now on.

Feeling better now, though - finally got a nap in at around 2pm till 7pm, and was able to eat some food this evening.

I think I've got my ACR-E configuration all set! During chemo last week, I had countless hours to screw with things, do research on colors, and convince myself that the cost of the options is worth it. As some may know, I'm a die-hard "minimalist" when it comes to performance cars. This cancer crap has got me thinking that life is very short, and I may as well treat myself to something a bit over the top. Going to try and meet with Paul at Normandin this week between chemo sessions to see if the configuration that I want is doable - and if it is, I'll lock it in and post some pics. It's one of those configurations and color combos that I initially was somewhat lukewarm about, but after seeing some people's picture postings and looking at cars in person, I think it's appropriate for what I'm going through (and hopefully will be done with soon).

Again - what I'm telling all my friends... If you haven't done it already, go out and get as much disability insurance as you can possibly manage. That was my big mistake in this whole situation - you never expect to have cancer pop into your life, and once you get it, you may as well forget about income-protecting insurance in the future. You just never know what illness you might come down with, and something like cancer isn't going to go away with some aspirin - and it's absolutely impossible to carry on a normal livelihood while going through the meat grinder. Docs say that we all have a 1 in 5 chance of getting cancer in our lifetimes, and depending on the kind of cancer you get, you're either "lucky" or you're screwed. Those odds didn't seem so bad until I got diagnosed and lost my job. Kicking myself over and over again for not maxing out STD and LTD insurance policies when I had the chance - but it'll all work out once I get back into the game.

[ACR Extreme]

Fight harder and smarter - good days and bad day are real fight for more good days.

It's a battle no one is prepared for - it's a gut check kick it's ass!

Spec that ACR - E.

[Martin]

Fight harder and smarter - good days and bad day are real fight for more good days.

It's a battle no one is prepared for - it's a gut check kick it's ass!

Spec that ACR - E.

Isn't that the truth. I have no history of cancer in my family, so I was knocked on my ass when the doctor just bluntly said "well, it's cancer and I'm sending you over to the oncology department. Good luck..." This was less than two years after I lost two dear friends to cancer - so I was freaked out to say the least. In their situations, the scenario seemed less severe than mine - they were totally healthy, no obvious symptoms, and got diagnosed during routine exams. We all thought they'd be fine - but the cancer just ravaged them and they wasted away. It was a horrible thing to see.

I'm hoping that I don't jinx my recovery by going and locking in my ACR-E before I'm totally out of the woods. Presently, things are going well and the oncologist seems to think I'm headed for a full recovery (knock on wood). It would seriously suck to order the car and then find out it spread somewhere else, etc. I guess time is on my side with that - if I order the car today, I hear it'll be 9 months before it gets built, which is plenty of time to get healthy :) At the same time, I don't want to jinx my recovery by waiting too long to order and then finding out the plant can't get my car done before the end of 2017.

[Lawrenzo]

Again - what I'm telling all my friends... If you haven't done it already, go out and get as much disability insurance as you can possibly manage. That was my big mistake in this whole situation - you never expect to have cancer pop into your life, and once you get it, you may as well forget about income-protecting insurance in the future.

Same mistake here as well. I thought the $8,000 annual premium was a bit high, but now it seems cheap. One thing I remember when I was looking over a potential policy is that they had lots of what-ifs and most of them seemed to be associated with losing an arm, leg, eye etc. I don't remember seeing anything about time off for cancer treatments??

[Martin]

Same mistake here as well. I thought the $8,000 annual premium was a bit high, but now it seems cheap. One thing I remember when I was looking over a potential policy is that they had lots of what-ifs and most of them seemed to be associated with losing an arm, leg, eye etc. I don't remember seeing anything about time off for cancer treatments??

They definitely pay for any disability - and cancer is officially a disability. Any time you can't work, these policies kick in. Some also have extra riders for lost limbs, etc., but all of the general policies (Guardian, MetLife, Unum, Aflac) will pay for anything that keeps you from working.

The trick I learned (unfortunately too late) is to get three or four different small policies through different providers. For example, instead of going with one big $8k annual policy that requires a medical exam and is tied directly to your pre-tax income, get three or four "guaranteed issue" policies that pay out $5k per month each. Those small policies are what the brokers keep in their back pocket to save a deal when the customer looks at the cost of the big policy. Those guaranteed issue policies might have some extra limitations (no mental health disability, for example), but they don't require a medical exam, and they're affordable (around $100 a month each).

An example is Aflac. They have a number of specialized policies that pay out for specific illnesses. The cost is about $40 a month for their cancer policy, and they also have accident and major illness policies that you can add on. It's a weird policy, though - they pay specific amounts for specific things. So, for example, every day you have to get chemo, they pay $300. Have to take anti-nausea medicine - $150 payout. Admitted to hospital for outpatient procedure - $300 payout. Best of all, they have a "first occurrence" clause - you get diagnosed with cancer, immediate $5000 payout.

Hindsight is 20/20. Hopefully some people can benefit from my mistakes on this - being incapacitated with a major illness is stressful enough, but not having money coming in really causes family stress.

[Martin]

Well, my blood tests are all coming back as "cancer free", so I went ahead and put in my order for the new ACR-E. I'm excited - I've been without an ACR since my GTS Blue/Black '09 got murdered (by me), and there's been something missing in life ever since. Hopefully I can post this picture without any drama...

The short of it is I got Stryker Purple, black center band, red driver's stripe, brass monkey wheels, and ACR interior with header red.

19826

[BlknBlu]

Yummy and congrats on the test results.

Bruce

[Martin]

Yummy and congrats on the test results.

Bruce

Thanks! I'm still not totally out of the woods yet - they have to do CT Scans, etc., to really be sure that the cancer is dead, but everything so far is encouraging. I think I got lucky - doc says my body took really well to the chemo, and things got better way ahead of schedule. Looks like I'm destined to live a clean life from here on out - I don't know if I'm going to get many more free passes.

I was seriously torn between doing this exact car in GTS Blue, or a shade of GTS Blue that was slightly darker and with a purple tint to it. But, that 1of1 program is so complicated with custom color choices that I got wrapped around the axle. The Stryker Purple should be nice - I'm normally not a purple fan, but with the red accents and the red driver's stripe, I think the purple will look good. Those brass monkey wheels really look good against the purple, too. It's a leap of faith, though - hopefully the color looks as good in person as it does in all the pictures I was going over, or I'll be calling it the Barney mobile or something else derogatory :)

[Viper Guy]

Martin,

Keep us posted on what Viper options you are ordering and color. Would love to see some one of one variations this week if you want to post up.

Off topic, but why not. Here is something real cool. A Viper member/owner turned me on to this yesterday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3moAlhonFk

Chris -

[Martin]

Martin,

Keep us posted on what Viper options you are ordering and color. Would love to see some one of one variations this week if you want to post up.

Off topic, but why not. Here is something real cool. A Viper member/owner turned me on to this yesterday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3moAlhonFk

Chris -

I labored over the options like you wouldn't believe - but I didn't have anything better to do while being pumped full of rat poison in the chemo chair, so it turned into a fun exercise. What I finally ordered was an GTC ACR-E with Stryker Purple paint, classic ACR black/red stripes, standard interior with header red stitching and steering wheel insert, and Brass Monkey wheels. I think it's going to look awesome - but I'll be the first to admit that it's a leap of faith since I've never seen Stryker Purple in person. Here's a couple rendering pics of it:

1996419965

[13COBRA]

Just saw this thread...

Good news thus far. Keep fighting.

Thoughts and prayers coming your way.

[viper_eddie]

Great to hear you're winning the fight and congrats on the order! Looks stunning!

[Camfab]

So good to hear your doing better. Attitude has so much to do with health, you've got what it takes. Thanks for the insurance advice, I'm going to look into it this week! Finally congrats on your victory prize to yourself, that car is amazing looking.

[Martin]

So good to hear your doing better. Attitude has so much to do with health, you've got what it takes. Thanks for the insurance advice, I'm going to look into it this week! Finally congrats on your victory prize to yourself, that car is amazing looking.

Thanks! Definitely do look into the insurance - and of all of them, I'd stay away from Unum... They're quite difficult to deal with - but they are the least expensive. Best ones are Guardian and MetLife from what I've heard on various forums.

It is SO NICE to be done with chemo... Every Monday morning, I got into the routine of getting myself psyched up for a week of sitting in a chair for 8 or 9 hours every day, and today I just slept in and relaxed. While I was going through it, I just motored through it and made the best of it. Now that it's over, it feels like I have my life back again.

Definitely looking forward to getting the VIN for my ACR-E - that will be day one of "this is really going to happen." Now, I just need to sort out the job situation and all will be good... To those who suggested looking into the CA laws around an employer kicking a cancer patient to the curb, thank you for your advice. I've got a good attorney who is aghast at what happened in my situation (for those who didn't follow the whole thread, I got kicked off the payroll the very day I started chemo - and the company's lawyers justified it in some pretty shady ways). I'm one of those strongly moralistic people, and I believe that wrongs should be righted - so I'm going to do everything possible to right this wrong.

[BlknBlu]

Jamesmug must have a Viper pool cue, wrong web site bud.

Bruce

[City]

Jamesmug must have a Viper pool cue, wrong web site bud.

Bruce

Spam registrant. Removed.

[Vprbite]

Thanks! Definitely do look into the insurance - and of all of them, I'd stay away from Unum... They're quite difficult to deal with - but they are the least expensive. Best ones are Guardian and MetLife from what I've heard on various forums.

It is SO NICE to be done with chemo... Every Monday morning, I got into the routine of getting myself psyched up for a week of sitting in a chair for 8 or 9 hours every day, and today I just slept in and relaxed. While I was going through it, I just motored through it and made the best of it. Now that it's over, it feels like I have my life back again.

Definitely looking forward to getting the VIN for my ACR-E - that will be day one of "this is really going to happen." Now, I just need to sort out the job situation and all will be good... To those who suggested looking into the CA laws around an employer kicking a cancer patient to the curb, thank you for your advice. I've got a good attorney who is aghast at what happened in my situation (for those who didn't follow the whole thread, I got kicked off the payroll the very day I started chemo - and the company's lawyers justified it in some pretty shady ways). I'm one of those strongly moralistic people, and I believe that wrongs should be righted - so I'm going to do everything possible to right this wrong.

I didn't know about the insurance thing. That sucks man. Glad you are doing well and keeping on keeping on. As someone who has been through a totally life changing event, I know the power of personal attitude. Saying to yourself "F*%# it, Win or lose I'm gonna fight with everything I got" makes such a difference. And not everyone does that.

Keep us posted on things.

[Martin]

Good news on the cancer front - had another CT scan yesterday, and it came back totally clean. No signs of tumors at all. My hair is growing back, my blood work is all normal, and I'm hitting the gym pretty hard, so things are getting back to normal. Still have various annoying side effects (peripheral neuropathy, tinnitus, screwed up eyesight) but my doc says most of them should resolve in the next few months. Fortunately, they're not debilitating in any way - although I do want to get my feet and eyes working right in time for track season... My feet constantly feel like I'm walking on shards of glass, or they go totally numb, so that is going to be a problem if I'm pushing things while driving. Same with the eyesight - I started with 20/20 before chemo, and now I'm somewhere around 20/80 and my night vision is completely screwed. Docs say that it can all be fixed, but I need to wait until things totally stabilize before having an ophthalmologist do corrections that will go out of date fast.

On a completely different topic, I got a notice from the concierge that my car went into custom painting about a week ago - and I was going to do a shout out to everyone who has a Stryker Purple on order. I figure they're going to do them all at once, so if mine went into paint, everyone else's were probably also going in. Then, mysteriously, a few days later my car downgraded back into "official order" status - so either schedules got changed or it was a glitch in the system.

I'll tell you, it was nice to get that CT result back. Statistically, my oncologist says I'm 99% cured at this point. If the scans keep coming back clean over the next three years, I'm 100% cured. Keeping my fingers crossed... Thanks everyone for your well wishes and prayers - this is a great community.

[swexlin]

Martin, this is some of the best news. Very glad to hear! Hopefully, your sight will continue to improve, I had never heard of that side effect before.

I think 2017 will be a good year for you!. Merry ChristmasKwaznizaChanuhakaFestivus!

[Purple Haze]

The best to you. Keep your goals in front of you that will keep you going...So have fun with your new ACR...

[BlknBlu]

Great news bud, but when your eyesight returns your car will not be GTS Blue.

Bruce

[Lawrenzo]

Great news on the cancer front. Sorry to hear of the delay with your reward. Keep your chin up and keep on fighting!

[Martin]

Thanks guys! I'm actually happy the car might take a little longer to build than I thought last week - I don't think I could really appreciate it at this point. I'm one of those barefoot driver weirdos you see sometimes - I like to feel what's going on with the pedals, and my feet are so big that even driving shoes get in the way sometimes. My normal routine is to stuff some flip-flops under the seat and then take off - if I end up needing to get out of the car, then the flip-flops go into service.

The eyesight thing is definitely annoying. Chemo has all kinds of bizarre nerve-related side effects (ears and eyes being the longest lasting annoyances), so I'm hoping the eyesight comes back sooner rather than later. It's weird to go through my whole life with perfect vision and now need to squint when I read anything or try to read the text on the TV, and feel like I'm driving in a fog at night. Fortunately the Gen V has good HID headlights, so if I take it out at night I should be able to see far enough ahead (my Jeep's clouded headlamps definitely aren't doing me any favors these days).

I'm just glad that I appear to have beat that stupid disease. Again, when you go in for your annual physical, do whatever you can to demand a full cancer screening with blood work. As noted, I probably had mine for years - and if they caught it in a blood test ten years ago the whole experience would have been a breeze. I hate getting poked though, so it's my own damned fault for not demanding anything that had to do with needles.... But, after having to be poked every day for months to get pumped full of rat poison, I realize I was just stupid.

PS: One weird positive side effect of chemo is that the usual aches and pains that I had are gone. I blew my knees out years ago, and they don't hurt at all anymore. Same thing with my elbows and shoulders - I had sports injuries that annoyed the heck out of me for ages, and now that the stupid peripheral neuropathy has kicked in on my feet and hands, the other things went away. One day, someone will do a study on that and figure something out.

[SmoknTires]

Martin, good luck to you. Recently my mother in law was advanced stage 3 and after 6 months of chemo and recovery, and now looking ok - fingers crossed. The best of luck to you - positive things will help - that adrenaline will surge when you see the car for sure. I'm told road trips in the viper with some nice music playing does a lot for the immune system!

Good luck!

[plumcrazy]

awesome news martin

[ViperTony]

Good news on the cancer front - had another CT scan yesterday, and it came back totally clean. No signs of tumors at all. My hair is growing back, my blood work is all normal, and I'm hitting the gym pretty hard, so things are getting back to normal. Still have various annoying side effects (peripheral neuropathy, tinnitus, screwed up eyesight) but my doc says most of them should resolve in the next few months. Fortunately, they're not debilitating in any way - although I do want to get my feet and eyes working right in time for track season... My feet constantly feel like I'm walking on shards of glass, or they go totally numb, so that is going to be a problem if I'm pushing things while driving. Same with the eyesight - I started with 20/20 before chemo, and now I'm somewhere around 20/80 and my night vision is completely screwed. Docs say that it can all be fixed, but I need to wait until things totally stabilize before having an ophthalmologist do corrections that will go out of date fast.

On a completely different topic, I got a notice from the concierge that my car went into custom painting about a week ago - and I was going to do a shout out to everyone who has a Stryker Purple on order. I figure they're going to do them all at once, so if mine went into paint, everyone else's were probably also going in. Then, mysteriously, a few days later my car downgraded back into "official order" status - so either schedules got changed or it was a glitch in the system.

I'll tell you, it was nice to get that CT result back. Statistically, my oncologist says I'm 99% cured at this point. If the scans keep coming back clean over the next three years, I'm 100% cured. Keeping my fingers crossed... Thanks everyone for your well wishes and prayers - this is a great community.

Great News Martin! And congrats on the ACRE!

[Purple Haze]

Of course you picked the right color. But I am partial to purple! So glad you are doing better...

[Vegaskid]

Great news on your win against cancer. You're going to love the ACR E...

BTW, you should look into a vanity plate...F-CNCR or something like that.

[Martin]

Great news on your win against cancer. You're going to love the ACR E...

BTW, you should look into a vanity plate...F-CNCR or something like that.

I am thinking about that :)

Looks like my car went back into "Custom Painting" - so things are moving along. Just sent a note to the concierge to see if I can get an update on when it might be done. I'm still hoping for springtime, but if it moves fast, I might have to sort out storage during the winter while I get a garage built (my existing garage needs to go - it was once a barn, and I've got to do something more comfortable and rodent free...).

[LifeIsGood]

That's great news. I'm looking forward to the pictures once you get it delivered.

[Martin]

By the way, if anyone hears of an executive Sales/Business Development/Customer Success opportunity in the cyber security space in Silicon Valley, I'd really appreciate the referral. I know it's a long-shot, but if you might know of something, I'm happy to PM you my LinkedIn profile. As some here may know, I was tearing things up with a company in the security space, and when they learned of my illness, they cut me on the grounds that I couldn't travel while I'm sitting in a chemo chair. So, I'm eagerly looking for something challenging to do next now that I'm 110% again. My Viper will thank you, as will I :)

[TrackAire]

Great news Martin....that is awesome!!

Sorry for the late reply, did not notice this was in the off topic section.

[Martin]

Just in case anyone is still following this - I'm still in the clear with full remission and a cancer-free set of tests. Definitely dodged one on that - talk about a scary experience.

Now just gearing up to get back to work now that it's hiring season again. I'm literally bored out of my mind - I think I've taken care of every possible chore around the house :) Definitely ready to get back into the game and start using my brain again.

[mackzilla]

Congratulations on your health and we look forward to seeing the car.

[swexlin]

Just in case anyone is still following this - I'm still in the clear with full remission and a cancer-free set of tests. Definitely dodged one on that - talk about a scary experience.

Now just gearing up to get back to work now that it's hiring season again. I'm literally bored out of my mind - I think I've taken care of every possible chore around the house :) Definitely ready to get back into the game and start using my brain again.

The best news we could hear, and very cool! Puts all of our petty Gen 5 arguing and issues in real perspective! Congrats!

[Lawrenzo]

Congrats on the all-clear. May it stay that way for a very long time!

[Bill Pemberton]

ACR-E

After Cancer Racing is Enjoyable!!

Congrats on winning the battle!!

[Martin]

Thanks guys for the well wishes! It really does mean a lot.

[ViperTony]

Martin, this is great news! Very happy for you!

[slowhatch]

Martin there is nothing better than a getting a clean bill of health. A heartfelt congratulations on winning the fight!

[mattssg]

Congrats Martin!

[BlknBlu]

Congrats, my black and blue brother.

Bruce

[poptarts]

congrats martin. always remember prayers work. great news

[Jay]

Happy to hear! Well fought

[Magzx12r]

Just in case anyone is still following this - I'm still in the clear with full remission and a cancer-free set of tests. Definitely dodged one on that - talk about a scary experience.

Now just gearing up to get back to work now that it's hiring season again. I'm literally bored out of my mind - I think I've taken care of every possible chore around the house :) Definitely ready to get back into the game and start using my brain again.

Great news. Enjoy that Viper.

[Martin]

Well, my reward for beating that stupid cancer is almost in my hands! I'm going down to the dealer to pay for it and get all the paperwork done today, and it'll be coming home after the storms are over with. Here's a pic of the car right before it left CAAP:

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24084

[Bill Pemberton]

Cancer take that , you just got Snakebit!!!

Cool for all of us to see the battle won , and now you can go wage War on all those funny flattened Volkswagens , er, Porsches.

[Fatboy 18]

Drive it like you stole it :drive: Congratulations

[SSGNRDZ_28]

Awesome news and thank you for the update! Enjoy the purple beast.