The Edge - The Story So Far

In February/March of 2009, Edge cohost SentaiRick and his partner CD Malpass were in dire straits with their health. CD had issues with his spine that continue to this day, and Rick had been regulated to walking with a cane just to get around. Friends and co-workers had begged, even ordered him to go to the doctor to have things checked out, but the duty (some say hellbound) bound  General Manager continued to attempt to do both the shows and work at Impact Satellite, his day job.

With CD Malpass going into semi retirement due to his back issues, things continued, until on a Sunday in March, Rick's pain overcame him - He crumpled, still stubbornly trying to get dressed for work, when his fiancée Barbara literally grabbed him by the shirt and demanded he go to the Emergency Room, which he did.

Inital Diagnosis found that his testicular cancer had returned, but with a twist - A second tumor had wrapped around his kidney, squeezing on the organ, while two nodes in his back pressed on his spine, causing the backpain that kept him on a cane. Friends came to visit him in the hospital, former Edge stars Beth, also Chris, former WTMI member Youkochylde made a surprise visit, as well as well wishes from the coworkers at Impact Satellite and RawNet's fans. The battle had just begun.

Dr. Jose Prudencio performed the surgery to remove the remaining testicle, with a battery of chemotherapy to try to shrink the tumor on the kidney., starting on April 16th, administered by Community General Osteopathic Hospital in Harrisburg PA, Andrews and Patel  Associates working with the hospital as the oncology team.

Day one of the Chemotherapy made Rick sick beyond all his comprehension , making him nauseous, dizzy, and unable to eat - Over time, Rick went from 302 pounds down to 200 pounds, becoming malnourished and dehydrated. The oncology team kept him stable with fluids and calories fed intravenously.  Rick also ended up with an attack of DVT, a blood clot that attempted to hit his lungs or his brain. If not for coworker John Hanks, it could have ended badly. Between that and having lowered blood pressure (sometimes being 90/70) low white blood counts and the need for blood transfusions, the GM had a choice to make for RawNet - the station needed to go on while he recovered, so he named KJ Dekker and Skyler Hall acting co-General Managers. They to this day continue to do a outstanding job keeping Raw alive and well supported.

Over the months of April and May, Rick fell into a deep depression. He had lost all the weight, lost his hair, lost his health, and at the deepest part , determined he had gone to Community General to die and the fear began to creep in. Barbara visited in between work and keeping their home afloat, and she gave him all the inspiration to stay with her. Working hard to try to eat and regain his strength, Rick continued on with the chemo, eventually getting to the final round after spending almost literally 2 months in the Hospital. He was released temporarily in the final week of June, when things turned around.

On the 29th (Rick's 36th birthday), he went to visit his coworkers at Impact Satellite, then off to Applebees (Barbara was hungry, and Rick wanted to see what he could or couldn't eat), Rick discovered that he was able to eat steak, and kept it down, feeling strength return. While at Applebees, the couple decided to hit the Great Escape Cinemas to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - after the movie, they returned home, where Rick ate again, and went to bed. They went to eat Chinese the next day,, and not only did the strength keep up, but Rick felt one other thing return - a sense of hope.

He did his final chemotherapy in the second week of July, nearly breezing through it thanks to anti nausea meds. He was discharged and went home, where he resumed eating and resting, and working a flex schedule remotely for Impact.

On July 29th, 2009 - Rick appeared after a long silence on Rawnet's site, mentioning in the chatroom to the astonished Skyler Hall that "I will be a two-time RawNet Champion" , and that a return, possibly at Revolutions VI may happen.

On August 04th, Rick went to Hershey Medical Cancer Center, and spoke with Dr. Joeseph Drabick - Upon his exam, he determined that the remaining tumor tissue was either classic seminoma (non threatening cancer), or a different kind of tumor (Dangerous) . They have scheduled bloodwork and testing to see which it may be, but as of the time of this writing, Dr. Drabick is of the opinion to err on the side of conservatism. Rick will probably be undergoing one final surgery to have the tumor tissues removed, and the doctor has stated that there is a 80-90 percent chance that Rick will come out of the surgery cancer free. If the surgery does not happen, then a new round of Chemotherapy will happen - either day, they are confident that things will be back to normal.

09/15/09 - Rick went to get the results of his petscan - there are still two nodes that are possible tumors near his spine, but the majority is gone! The doctor as of this writing has decided that Rick is going to be under observation, and will not go to surgery, and was declared a cancer survivor again!

This writing's purpose is multi - First and foremost, it will stand as a warning on the Edge's subsite that if you as a male or female find a lump or something strange, do NOT wait like Rick did - go see a doctor immediately!

Also this is to pay homage and thanks to those that supported Rick over the course of this very frightening time in his life.

1) Barbara - If not for your strength and will, not only would Rick have fallen, but the household would have been in danger too - Here's to a very strong woman, and here's to many years of not only husband and wife, but two good friends growing old together.

2) CD Malpass - A brother to Rick over the course of 2001 to now, Rick will carry the torch for both Chris and himself as Chris goes into semi retirement to marry Beth, and take care of daughter Alicia. Two families were born out of the course of Chris and Rick's journey, a testament to the strength of the family and friendship.

3) Beth and Alicia - Rick has fond memories of his time in the ER with Beth and Alicia, as Alicia stood by his gurney and smiled saying "Doc Alicia to the rescue", having Beth and Rick in hysterical laughter. Beth continues to rally, giving Rick a "Glad you made it through Chemotherapy" present in the form of an original Transformers Omega Supreme, which Rick has on his collection shelf with pride.

4) John Hanks , Impact Satellite - If not for John, Rick would have a strong change of no longer being here. When a DVT clot attacked his lungs, he took a near comatose Rick to the hospital in time for treatment.

5) Impact Satellite - Rick's current employer, Rick has had a lot of support from the call center staff, Jason Heikel, April Bender, Nicole Waller-Coleman, Denise Simon, Todd Miller and John Hanks, also Tony S, Supervisor Dan Hartzell and Barry Hefflefinger, along with Derek Snyder. Thank you all for a lot of support that is much appreciated.  No matter what the future holds, we will ALWAYS be friends!

6) Donna Morgan - Rick's ex, having talked to him on the phone and patching differences, the two have resumed a friendship.

7) Saishi / YoukoChylde / Envy Fairchylde - Youko, there is one thing Rick has embedded in his head from your visit. The doctor came in to reveal diagnoses, and when he asked you who you were, you said "I'm his sister." He almost cried that day, and still gets a rush of warmth and love from someone he does consider a sister. Envy has/had a thing about going to hospitals, and overcame her fear to visit, and Rick was extremely happy to see Envy again.

8) Skyler Hall / KJ Dekker - The acting General Managers for Raw, KJ has been cranking down, helping Sunday Bloody Sunday stay in shape, while Skyler has been working hard behind the scenes with The Hot Spot, also reuploading the entire 34 plus gig website after Google had flagged it as a dangerous site, and running a funding drive to help pay for the website server and other misc. expenses. Those two are good friends, and also brothers in arms.

9) RawNet's fans - The outpouring of support and love from the fans have more or less cemented Rick as a 'babyface' (wrestling term there) instead of a heel, and Rick has vowed to stay in their good graces and do everything he can for them, his extended family.

10) Andrews and Patel Associates - Thanks to their hard work and dedication, Rick has a fighting chance. Thank you to Amy Cleck, Mona Patel, Lori Francis, Kathryn Peroutka, Margarita Gareis, Robert Gordon, and Roy Williams, the team that helped Rick out in a very tough time.

11) The Oncology Staff at Community General Osteopathic Hosptial, Londenderry Drive. You put up with a lot, and gave a lot. Rick had an army those few months!

And the (real life) adventure continues.....