Chris,
I'm glad you found some helpful info in my thread. Health wise, I'm doing well as I carry on with peritoneal dialysis. Regarding your cheeks; they are not patchy, simply less dense. Mine are the same. Ways of dealing with varying densities:
1) Don't trim too short.
2) Trim "with the grain." This works well for blending and balancing more dense and less dense areas.
3) Experiment with lengths to find what you like best.
4) Experiment with brushing. Try brushing with the grain of your beard vs. brushing downward. My beard looks most dense when I brush with the natural grain (a 45 degree angle towards the chin) vs. brushing downward.
Congratulations on your beard and good luck,
- Fred

You either live life -- bruises, skinned knees and all -- or you turn your back on it and begin dying - Christopher Pike paraphrasing Dr. Philip Boyce (Star Trek - "The Cage")

Bearded in BC's Thread