Updates.. Wasabi… Love… And More…
hey all,
first of all let me say sorry this has taken me awhile to get posted… once we got back from cali we played the catch up game on everything… emails, phone calls, kids etc.
so… what a great trip.. and as always it came and went way too fast. when ryan and i first got there our amazing momma j and mae greeted us with open arms and huge hugs.. i got to meet stephanie (the angel neighbor) and what a GOD SEND this woman is. i love you steph and appreciate you more than words can express.
we went into the room where chi was and apparently stephanie and momma j had been telling him all day how we were coming and he stayed awake all day.. so by the time we got there he was pretty tired but did wake up enough to realize we had finally made it… i looked into his eyes and told him how much we all love him and have his back during this journey.. as i was talking to him some tears rolled from the corners of his eyes… so i know he heard me. he is amazing. he looks good. his presence is so great to be around (some things never change i guess). he tried over and over to sit up.. almost as if he wanted to greet us. then we let him rest.. and just sat there and held his hand and visited with everyone.
the next day i woke up early and went over to talk to him and hold his hand some more (did this alot).. i don’t know how to explain it but.. you can tell when he is listening. there were times when it seemed that maybe he wasn’t focusing on me.. but more times than not he was focusing on us in the room. we watched movies… pineapple express, walk hard.. (walk hard we watched twice because we laughed so much!) with him and told him about all the love and support he had. he is aware of all of you and all the prayers you send him.
i showed him the one love for chi bracelets i had made for the benefit and he looked those over for quite awhile… showed him the t-shirts too.
one nite we were having sushi and momma j was talking about how much he loved wasabi.. i told her “hey let’s give him a little taste” so we went over to chi and momma j gave him a little tiny bit on his tongue.. he smacked that around in his mouth and obviously was loving tasting it again.. so much that he said “MORE!”.. i looked at him and said “what brother.. what did you say??” and he said “MORE!” again and then said “MOM!”.. so obviously he knew who was holding out on the wasabi! so she gave him a bit more. [i use CAPS to not say that he shouted it.. but he said it clearly.]
every moment we spent with him was beautiful and i could tell he really appreciated our company.
the next day we had to leave early to the benefit. we drove to LA and there i met aunt renee, smokey and matt (love you guys!) .. also our other stephanie who has also been a GODSEND! she is the one who has been helping me by making and shipping out the one love shirts. thank you steph.. i appreciate you so much. they had the booth all set up by the time ryan and i got there and had a TON of shirts and helping hands with her. thanks to you all for your help in running the booth and auction. the benefit was great. we really raised some great awareness.. and that was our major goal. we want to thank danny hill, sonny, the band lit for letting us use their place, and everyone else who showed up to show support. especially dr. defina! chi’s new doc from NJ. he is an awesome man. positive outlook.. great presence. the day of the benefit was the same day dr. defina and two of the doctors on his team evaluated chi. he had so many inspiring stories about other people he has been able to help and even recover (which is his goal for chi.. recovery!).
i also got to meet pak (chi’s brother), and quite a few other one love family members there too! that was awesome! i met so many people.. i wish i could list you all.. but just know that if i met you that nite it was a pleasure! we ended up raising $2500 in donations and t-shirt sales.. and again.. alot of awareness. guitar edge magazine was there.. and revolver magazine.. the local news and more. thank you ALL!
this is from when we got back from the benefit i was sitting next to chi and had my hand on his chest and he was holding my arm.
the next morning we got up and drove back to spend another day with chi. at one point i helped mae with chi in holding him up while she changed his sheets… i was holding him up and looking into his eyes and just telling him encouraging words… he was looking at me so deeply i told mae i felt he was looking into my soul. when he focuses.. he FULL ON focuses on you. i reassured him again that we had his back.. always!
before we knew it…….. time to go. :( when we were saying bye i was telling chi to keep doing what he was doing.. being strong… taking those baby steps and that we would be back soon.. and he said “UH-HUH!” and then started making lots of noises as if trying to get out so many other words. momma j had to pick her chin up off the floor. he really responded to us alot while we were there.
being there just made me anxious for our next trip out to see chi.
today we had a conference call with dr. defina so he could share the results of the numerous scans they did. momma j, ming and myself were on the call. the doctors were pleased with the fact that chi has alot of integrity left in his brain. they expect continuous progress over time. dr. defina feels we will be seeing little improvements once chi is fully on the new protocol but clearly this will be an ongoing process. he showed us the pictures of the scans they did and showed us where the damage or problems were and also showed us areas that were functioning normally and/or had the potential to function properly. from what i gathered it seems it will be somewhat of a remapping process. there are some areas now that are over functioning and some that are not functioning at proper levels. all and all.. everything that he had to report sounded very promising. another great thing to hear from the doc was that he and his team are familiar with the issues chi has and they have solutions.
much love to you all our dear one love for chi family. your continued love, support and prayers means so very much!
one love for chi,
gina
Sounds great Gina, love the picture(got some tears over here)
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gina Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
aww thanks natasha.. ya i shed a few myself when mom j sent me the pic.
one love for chi,
gina
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powell7879 Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Chi is sooo lucky to have such a great family, that would do anything and everything for him. Thanks for the updates, very good news!! Lots of love, Ann
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That was an amazing read, Gina!! Thank you so much for the updates. I was on the edge of my seat reading this. I am so happy to hear how great his progress has evolved. Chin up Chi, everyday is a little closer to full recovery. One Love!!!!
Laura
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gina Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
thanks sweetheart.
one love for chi,
gina
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Way too many thoughts going through my head. I try to imagine how Jeanne feels and I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around what she’s gone through. As a mother, I know it’s got to be all consuming. I am so excited for her though…knowing what amazing and positive things lie ahead after this long journey. He’s on his way back
No doubt about it…
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gina Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
i love you my soul sista angie. the support you have given me thru this journey means so much.
love you my dear friend!
one love for chi,
gina
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give the man wasabi daily lol…
amazing update, thank you for sharing
-silly girl with blue hair from NJ
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All I gotta say is I will never forget that benefit show. Just being able to finally meet you all was the coolest. Helping out with the booth and auctions was so much fun. I am so glad the show was a success and cannot wait for the next ones! Everyone involved and who showed up made the night amazing. It was all for Chi and I think everyone got that. Gina, you really are so awesome and Ryan is the coolest, after meeting you guys, I totally get why you are doing all of this. Thanks for letting me be a part of this! And maybe now that I am in Germany I can go catch one of Mr DJ Hefe’s benefits in Romania sometime! I am the Chi Soldier! Worldwide sucka!
NO QUIT CHI!!!
Matt
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gina Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 12:14 am
matt i love you so much. you are amazing and i thank you for all you do for us. god bless you brother.
one love for chi,
gina
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Headup Chi!
Me emociona cada vez que leo en el twitter un mensaje de esta página, la recuperación está cada vez mas cerca, Fuerza!!!
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hey gina…so happy to hear all these news…it s incredible..thank you for the post…Chi is on his way back..he s gonna make it ….stay strong Chi your re not alone
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gina Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 12:15 am
love you hefe.. i knew you would love this news. better things coming brother!
one love for chi!
gina
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Thanks so much for the update Gina. I was beaming ear to ear reading about the Wasabi and Chi’s responses.
- John
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Forgive me, Gina, but I read the end first. This is the news I’m sure you all wanted and neaded to hear. So much news and postive energy for us to hold on to and run with.
No amount of thanks and blessings are enough for you, Gina and everybody who has Chi’s back.
Much love to you and Ryan, Momma J. the Stephanies and last but by no means least, the beautiful man himself, Chi.
OneLove x
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this is real good new thanks for updating us gina and chi is amazing glad he responded to you. wish i could see his face he is a real good person
love you chi and keep the fight up and as gina said we do have your back always one love chi
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This is Mike and Sheri, we used to live next door to Chi back in 1991 (La Riviera Apts). Just wanted you to know that he is in our prayers!
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Its all happening!!! …. after my car wreck right before i started to remember things again i remember just staring at stuff trying to figure out how it had happened and why i didnt remember it.
thats amazing !!! this is so exciting !!!
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Finally, a Doctor to give us specific information and a plan of action! Gina, our angel, thank you for making this happen! Loved hearing about your visit too, made me feel like I was there.
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gina Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 12:11 am
thanks love! love you so much auntie ann!
one love for chi,
gina
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cant wait for you to get better man…i know it will happen….like i said i know you wont go back on your promise to give me a wood chuck….soooo get better my man….
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That benefit show sounded amazing! Shame I couldn’t go, being in New Zealand and all. It’s great to hear Chi is making so much progress! He’s in my thoughts every day and I’m sending positive thoughts his way.
One Love For Chi!
Sarah
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i can’t even begin to tell you how much all of your loving words for chi means. please keep praying… it will be a longer process than we would all like… but we can DO THIS! please keep praying for our brother. i love you all!
one love for chi,
gina
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Gina next time you guys are here Im coming to see you for sure!!! Thats so amazing I wish I could of come to the show!!! I cant wait to hear all the great things thats are going to happen!! Love you Gina
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gina Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:31 pm
hi nichele my belle! i better get to see you next time!!! i am hoping to get out there again real soon.. at the latest this summer.
love you too!
gina
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It broke my heart to read tears streamed his face, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the wasabi moment. lol
I’m so happy he just keeps getting better. I think you missed another lady who is also a Godsend to Chi and his loved ones…. YOU! Thank You so much always! =D
This probably sounds weird but, whenever I see a picture of Chi’s tattooed hand, always holding on to something or someone, I see strength and heart. It hits me on how real this all is. Does that make sense?
One Love as always!
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gina Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:29 pm
aww mel – thanks love.
ya it totally makes sense.
thanks for your support and love!!!
one love for chi,
gina
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Hi,
Did u ever bring his guitar to his bed?
Best ‘medicine’ is guess..
Make him feel the wood and strings.
Wake up Chi.
Peace from Holland!
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I am so glad to hear all the good news. I’m sure Chi can’t wait to be fully recovered, so that he can tell you how much he loves you for all your support!
Walk Hard, Chi!
lol
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hola soy debolivia la verdad lei casi todo eso y pienso q chi esta recuperandose
eso me alegra chi cheng youa re deftones and deftones is chi
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Great news! It sounds like he is well on his way to recovery!!
Have you heard of Brahmi? It’s a plant (Bacopa monnieri), it could be well worth investigating as a theraputic aid and is usually available at your local herbalist. Check out this link for more info on its properties. I can attest to the fact that it improves the memory quite dramatically!
http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/free-herb-information/brahmi.html
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good good news, munchas gracias.. chris777
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Great update! So glad to hear there is hope and promise. The Defotnes have been such a huge influence on me and music and I can only hope that Chi can rebound to have a good life! He has brought so much to so many people!
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Hi Chi and fam!
I had the pleasure of taking care of you in Kentfield and I am so happy that you are doing better. I have been thinking a lot about you and how you are and try to keep up to see your improvement. Awesome that you are doing better and I look forward to seeing more and more improvement.
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gina Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 8:23 am
hi karman,
thanks so much for checking in on chi and all you did to help him out during his days at kentfield.
one love for chi,
gina
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A Gina,just wanted to let you know what your doing for Chi and the Cheng family is is a blessing from God.I just picked up a sick one love for Chi t-shirt at my church I go to…Calvery Chapel Diamond Bar Ca.All the money is being donated to help out.If its possible,can you tell Chi Jimmie Nides from Montclair Ca. said he’s praying for a strong recovery for him.I want to see him jamming out with the Deftones again.I’ve been a fan since day 1 and they need him!ONE LOVE FOR CHI!!!
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gina Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 8:22 am
aww thanks jimmie! i appreciate your support.. and so does the chengs!
one love for chi,
gina
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Jimmie Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 10:18 am
A Gina,hows Chi been doing so far?If Chi would be up for it,Chino and the rest of the guys should have him a bed side acoustic session.Something chill and relaxing.It might just help him on his recovery?
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THank you for sharing the news I’m so glad to hear that Chi is awake now and on his way to recovery. Just take it one day at a time brotha and i hope to see you on your feet again one day. I’ve always been a huge fan. Get better glad to see your’e back.
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Gina,
Thank you and all involved for your unselfish efforts for our chi. The post are amazing and heartfelt. I’m wearing my “one love for chi” at all the bike shows and I’m getting a few questions about chi and I’m able to explain everything about him, including this site. I will continue to carry the flag of our Chi!
one love,
Gino
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gina Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 11:48 am
gino thank you so much. many blessings to you!
one love for chi,
gina
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How have you been Gina?Your a great woman for everything your doing for Chi and the Cheng family.If your reading these Chi,stay strong and Im still praying that the Lord helps you with a strong recovery…which he will.I want to see you jamming back on the bass with the Deftones.Your first show back,Im going to be in thr front row brother!
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gina Reply:
February 22nd, 2010 at 8:39 am
thanks jimmie… i appreciate the kind words.
many blessings.
one love for chi,
gina
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This post made me SO happy! I’ve got some tears of joy over here. We’re all continuing to send Chi our love and prayers. Much Love.
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Your welcome Gina.A thousand thankyou’s to you for everything your doing.Im always going to show my support and represent for Chi and the Deftones.You got to walk into this world with your head up high!ONE LOVE FOR CHI!!!
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gina Reply:
February 23rd, 2010 at 2:24 pm
one love for chi always!
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Hey there I glad to hear Chi is improving I also went through this with my sister. its a hard thing to deal with but it does make family a lot stronger. she was also in a car accident it made us stronger as individuals and tighter as a family all I can say don’t give up and stay strong.
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gina Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
thanks russ. many blessings to you. thanks for your support.
one love for chi,
gina
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