Lamont Bryden update

[f6john]

LaMonster has posted on Facebook that after consultation with all his doctors and discussing his situation with his loving wife, they have decided to enter hospice care. The road he has traveled since his liver transplant in 2018 has been full of challenges, ups and downs.

2 Timothy 4:7

[98valk]

 

[Serk]

Dang hate to hear this... It's public so hoping it's okay if I relay his message from Facebook:

Today is my first day of freedom. I am free from endless appointments and tests.  No more poking veins, no more MRI's, CT scans and no more biopsies. The stress of it all has been greatly reduced. We are now on hospice care.
After careful consideration we have decided not to be listed for a risky second liver transplant. After talking with the liver team they have convinced us the risk and quality of life (if I do make it through the surgery) is just not worth going forward. The unbearable stress it's put on Joan and I is just too much to go through again. With the transplant it is almost sure my PTLD lymphoma cancer would come back because of the high dose of anti rejection drugs I would be taking for next year or more. The chances of surviving the first year is 51%. The surgery would be 20 to 30% more risk than the first because of the scar tissue and risk of bleeding out on the table. My health today is way worse than it was the first transplant so that makes recovery that much harder. Google explains best. I just wanted to thank you all for your prayers and support through the years. This has been going on since 2018. I've been sick long enough. I hope you understand and don't judge me as a quitter. I fought as hard as I could. There's no fight left in me. In us.
From Google
Deciding to stop "fighting" an illness—whether that means discontinuing curative medical treatments or shifting away from the exhausting cycle of constant resistance—is a profoundly personal choice. It is rarely an act of giving up, but rather a courageous shift toward prioritizing your comfort, dignity, and quality of life.
The transition from a curative or aggressive treatment approach to a comfort-focused approach involves specific realities and considerations:
Weighing Quality vs. Quantity: Many patients reach a point where the severe side effects of ongoing treatments (like chemotherapy or intensive physical therapies) outweigh the additional time they might gain. The focus shifts to how the remaining time is lived, rather than just the length of life itself.
The Role of Palliative Care or Hospice: Stopping curative treatment does not mean stopping medical care. It transitions you into Palliative Care or Hospice Care, which are explicitly designed to manage pain, relieve symptoms, and provide emotional and spiritual support for both you and your loved ones.
Shift to Acceptance: For individuals with chronic (but non-terminal) illnesses, "quitting the fight" often means moving from a state of constant, exhausting resistance and denial into one of acceptance. It is the process of learning to work with your body and focusing on small moments of joy, rather than endlessly battling your medical reality.
Revisiting Goals: Your goals may shift. Instead of pursuing a cure, your priorities might become traveling, spending uninterrupted time with family, or simply ensuring you are free from pain in your own home.Deciding when to take this step is a deeply individual process that takes time and thoughtful planning.
Once again Joan and I both thank you for your prayers and support. God bless you all.

[Jersey mike]

Wishing love, peace and comfort to him and his group family and friends.

[Challenger]

Thanks for the update.
Prayers for the family.

[Willow]

Prayers offered for Lamont and his family.  He has had a struggle and will be very missed.   

[Chrisj CMA]

That's a hard story to read. But, an understandable decision

[Oss]

Prayers for them both.

very sorry to hear this, may the road he travels be peaceful and free of pain

[LadyDraco]

My heart goes out to Lamont and his family n friends, prayers for strength.
I always enjoyed his company ..

[Mooskee]

That is a sobering story to read. We have added Lamont and his family to our prayer list.

[John Schmidt]

I first met Lamont at his vendor spot in the South Daytona strip mall during Bike Week many years ago. I'm sure he wouldn't remember me but we had a nice extended chat at the time. We crossed paths a couple times in the following years, I don't recall where or when. I've been aware of his struggle, now to hear of him choosing hospice is difficult, albeit understandable. I know first hand what it's like to place someone under hospice care. God's speed my friend, prayers for you and family.

[carolinarider09]

Prayers offered for Lamont and his family. 

[Mooskee]

I met Lamont at the first couple of Inzanes in Zanesville OH. He had a Valk with, I think it was a blower, and nitrous.
He had a Boss Hog at the ralley when we were trying to break the Guinness record by riding 1000 Valkyries to the Marysville plant. We ended up with something like 800 with numerous other bikes mixed in.
He had that Boss Hog parked in the Wallmart lot where we were gathering. Lamont had installed a remote start on it. He stood off the side and when someone would come gawking, as soon as they touched the bike, he would start it. It was hilarious to see the reactions.

[RP#62]

I met Lamont at the first couple of Inzanes in Zanesville OH. He had a Valk with, I think it was a blower, and nitrous.
He had a Boss Hog at the ralley when we were trying to break the Guinness record by riding 1000 Valkyries to the Marysville plant. We ended up with something like 800 with numerous other bikes mixed in.
He had that Boss Hog parked in the Wallmart lot where we were gathering. Lamont had installed a remote start on it. He stood off the side and when someone would come gawking, as soon as they touched the bike, he would start it. It was hilarious to see the reactions.

We rode with Lamont from Marysville back to Zanesville that day.  Here's what I could find in RP's giant Valkyrie archives. (This was from the days of low rez digital pictures).

RP








RP

[Thunderbolt]

He was in Maggie Valley one year for a rally when we were staying at the hotel that is now named Clarion Hotel and Conference Center at the intersection of 19 and 276 N.  I think RP and Cheryl y'all were there so you probably remember this.  There was a group of ladies staying there that at the time we thought were "old".  Some of them wandered over and were gawking at the motorcycles.  A couple of them actually rode on Lamont's bike around the hotel.  One of them actually said as she got on the seat "I haven't had my legs apart this far since my husband died".   I have a picture somewhere of the big smile he had on his face with one of them onboard.

[RP#62]

I do remember that.  It took awhile to find them, but here's some pictures.







RP

[Farside]

Prayers for Lamont! The decision that he reached was very difficult to say the least. I never met him but wish I had, he looks like he likes people and loves God

[Thunderbolt]

Thanks RP for digging up the pictures.  Iris said one of the ladies told him not to go so fast that it messed up her hair.