Hi, My name is Albert Tenaya, and I am a California American Indian and the sixth generation descendant of Chief Tenaya of Yosemite valley. I am a musician and have two C.D's of flute music on Amazon and Spotify along with other sites. Music from my first C.D. "Medicine Water" Flute Songs was contracted by the film documentarist Ken Burns for "The National Parks. America's Best Idea" in 2009. Our friend Monica Lucas started a Go Fund Me page in December 2017 to raise funds for my medical bills due to me getting ill from throat cancer. I'm also a singer/songwriter and play guitar to tell of my ancestral heritage by stories and songs which is my only vocal C.D. My doctors told me that after my treatment of Chemo and Radiation was finished in February that I would start feeling better in two more months.. On my last checkup in July, the cancer is GONE, Praise God! However, I'm 69 years old and not as young as I used to be, and since everyone responds differently to treatment and time healing, I was then told possibly up to 6 more months. It's been 8 months since then from February. Then I was told a year, then up to two years.. I have a gastric feeding tube that I receive formula through. It was initially because I couldn't eat by mouth but even though I have a veracious appetite now, my mouth gets irritated with sores and my throat is tender and swells up due to the residual affect of the chemo treatment. I assumed it was due to the radiation but no matter the reason, I still have to use the formula.. I also haven't gained any weight back, instead I have continued to loose weight. One of the reasons is because I have to take Oxycodone and marijuana for pain management. I have tried to get off of the opioids myself.. because I want to be free of the drugs in my system but I can't get through 3 days before I start having the pins and needles feeling to take a pill again... I have a high pain tolerance but once my throat starts to swell up from eating by mouth and I get the mouth sores, I need the Oxycodone! I even had to have a dentist pull 5 of my teeth, because I had cavities in 4 of them and also needed a root canal in one tooth. There was no time to recover from all of that before treatment because the cancer was so active that they needed to treat me immediately. Between the pain and feeling (shaky from trying to go cold turkey from the medication) I've been trying to fight my own battle with it but to no avail. I have tried CBD oil for pain but it doesn't work. I have tried innumerable times to get off of the opioids, but for some reason I loose weight as well when I have tried to detox from it. I did manage to stop taking the Morphine but had to start back on the Oxycodone. The marijuana helps my appetite when I can eat by mouth, and I use Orajel for the mouth sores and the Oxycodone for pain. My wife had me look into her eyes and told me that it isn't my immediate concern right now to try to get off of the pain medication but instead to concentrate on controlling my pain and start gaining weight first, so I can finally get the feeding tube removed from my stomach.. I'm starting to understand how I can be very stubborn sometimes.. My wife Maryvel has been my sole caregiver. She was so burned out from working one night, dealing with the stress of how she was supposed to take care of me and work that she got into a car accident.. We were both working for one of the Ride Share companies. It was 38 degrees outside, cold for California, she was dressed in layers of clothing and had been turning the heater on for the Riders and off for herself. She dropped off her last Riders and was heading towards home, exhausted, and then fell asleep at the wheel... Thankfully, she was driving the speed limit on a stretch of country road. All that she remembers is crossing over the railroad tracks, until she felt the car bumping up and down.. She was bumping through a field, hit a post, and just kept sailing through the field.. All four of the airbags had deployed, and she said it was like being in a submarine because she couldn't see anything, then the car finally stopped. The airbag at the gas pedal had trapped her foot, and that's why the car didn't stop after she hit the post.. The ambulance took her to the hospital where I was staying, they checked her out and there were no broken bones, but she definitely got whiplash from the airbag thrash, so they gave her a shot of morphine, released her, and she came up to my room.. She stayed with me in the hospital for 3 days straight before my final checkout date.. The next day was her birthday.. She made it through another birthday! Unfortunately, neither the Ride Share company or our insurance company would take her accident claim. The Ride Share said that even though her App was on, she wasn't on the way to a ride, it was just ON. The insurance company said that because it was work related, it was the Ride Shares responsibility to take care of it.. The car was totaled, brought to a tow yard and then accumulated a month of tow storage wreck yard fee's. The car was then auctioned off and there was even a charge for that.. But we still had my car.. for a few months.. Then the Repo came and took my car.. I had leased the car through the Ride Share, and was not only paying a weekly rental fee towards the purchase of the car, but also an over the limit mileage fee. In order to receive the bonuses, you have to drive over the mileage.. So, I had to work long hours because they took a huge chunk out every week.. I told them that I was dealing with throat cancer and tried to pay them something but they wanted the whole amount because too much time had elapsed, so one day when we were getting ready to go to my doctor appointment, the car was gone.. A friend of ours heard of a company who helps people on hard times to receive a free refurbished automobile. She wrote a wonderful letter but when we didn't hear anything from them, she continued to inquire on our behalf but nothing happened.. We were able to borrow a truck from some other friends for a few months but they needed it back, so we have been without transportation for the last 3 months. However, the Lord has continued to Bless us abundantly in more ways than we ever could have imagined from Family, Christian Brothers and Sisters, Close Friends and my Fan Base.. Now I'm trying to start a new chapter on my Full recovery. We were attempting to move out of California this year to another state to be with family, and so Maryvel could finely have a respite.. But for some reason of the Lord, we have continued to stay here.. We have been making attempts to leave since August. (We) thought we had it all planned out to finally leave at the end of September, however a very important part of the travel had to be scrapped due to limited funds that were promised by some friends. Things happen, and our friends couldn't come up with all that we needed.. There is always a reason in His time, in His season, for His purpose and His Glory! I served in the Military during the Vietnam era while stationed at Ft. Ord from 1970-76, it was (NON)-Active duty, so I wasn't able to receive any medical benefits. A soldier has to be on (Active) Duty - meaning deployed to (Veitnam) or they have to had served 10 years (plus) in the military to receive medical benefits. *** For Your Education: The United States Government will not assist a tribe who is not FEDERALLY recognized. According to the "Bureau of Indian Affairs", if the tribe did (NOT) sign a "Peace Treaty" with the United States Government, they are not federally recognized... I am retired now of course, and receive Social Security and have also been able to receive Medi-Cal benefits since this past July.. BUT the back bills from my medical is left remained unpaid. We had applied for the IHSS program (In Home Support Services) through Medi-Cal but they made issue of receiving Crowd-Funding help, and didn't cover those bills, so we had to let it go.. Isaiah 9:6 anyway, right! We have not skipped tithing nor giving despite our circumstances - Malachi 3:10, because we know from where our help comes from, Amen. And lastly to put two questions to rest, "Don't all American Indians have casino's and/or receive checks?" No, only if they signed a peace treaty. It doesn't even matter if they have an "Indian Roll Number" to prove they are in fact American Indian.. Chief Tenaya was killed because he refused to give up the land, so the Ahwahneechee Tribe does not receive tribal compensation just like any other Tribe that did not sign a Treaty.. "How come the Government or National Parks don't want to know or recognize if there are any descendants of Yosemite Valley left?" How about the entire United States.. Our land and our clan is no different than any other American Indian tribe.. Unrelated: "Why don't American Indians want anyone to photograph them?" Because they do not want their Images to be used for public compensation. I met my wife at a Junior College hosting a public California American Indian event. She humbly asked if she could take my photograph.. I asked if she was going to use it for commercial purposes, she looked at me perplexed and said, "No?" I had wanted my own "Exclusive" photographer to chronicle my musical career, so when I asked her if she was interested she accepted, and the rest is history... My first and second C.D. cover is my wife's work.. So proud of my girl! My Great, Great Grandfather - Chief Tenaya, the Grandfather of Maria Labrado - my Great Grandmother, the park.. has her photograph displayed. My whole family has that same photograph. We are the known true family of the original tribe through our forefather Chief Tenaya. It's only been 167 years removed since 1851, not hundreds of years.. We're still here, Glory to God! What the devil meant for evil, God meant for Good!! My family are Christians as well, and have been an incredible support to me and my wife financially and emotionally, but it's been nearly a year since this journey began and funds are tightening up as the holidays are approaching, and Maryvel and I are just waiting on the Lord to see how the rest of this story is going to play out.. Will we stay in California? or go to be with family? We are open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, not voices and not reasoning's.. My wife's prayer while making plans was to our closest relations, "If all of this goes "Smoothly", I'll know it's God" because we've already had innumerable smooth situations in times past that the Lord was obviously at the ships wheel and we just sailed through... We made the sensible plans to go be with family, everything else was in place to leave at the end of September, except for the full amount promised to leave tanked out.. His Will Be Done! Destiny Awaits...