Hospital staff cheering a successful cancer survivor.

Telling This Guy’s Story in the Hope that it Saves a Life

A favor, if you will. This is not the typical “what’s up, downtown” story. Whether or not there is a happy ending depends entirely on you. There was this guy, see, who reluctantly went to see his doctor in a shockingly proactive way. Dudes don’t do this.

He was expecting just a prescription or some advice, only to hear, “I’m sending you to get a blood test.” Ick, no way. Next up, off to see a urologist. What! I don’t think so; I’m fine. “Your PSA level is high.” Uh oh.

After meeting various specialists and undergoing numerous tests, I found myself grappling with dark thoughts and sleepless nights and even fearing that I might not have many opportunities left to marvel at a beautiful sunset. Eventually, I underwent 20 radiation treatments. Following this, Dr. Sheu from the Radiation/Oncology department informed me that I should return in 6 months to update him on my condition.

A week later, I had another appointment at Jude Hospital, where Dr. Lyou from the Oncology department gave me fantastic news — I was cancer-free. He mentioned that I could now expect to live out my natural life expectancy. No more reliving the same experiences day after day. Instead, I can look forward to enjoying countless sunrises, celebrating more birthdays and holidays, and spending time with my loved ones.

The guy pictured above is me. If just one person reads this and decides to get a simple PSA test, it will have been worth bearing my soul here. After the initial visit with the staff at St. Jude, patients are reassured, after being welcomed by smiling faces, that there is no need for embarrassment or fear of the unknown. Their caring actions and personal attention make it obvious that those unproductive emotions are no longer needed. The focus turns to healing. The power of a positive outlook makes a huge difference.

Beam me up. I won’t feel a thing. As I said, dudes don’t go to the doctor. We need someone to push us in that direction. You, your family member, friend, co-worker, neighbor – someone needs to go. And maybe, just maybe, if they need treatment to halt the spread of prostate cancer, they will have a graduation photo like mine above or, more likely, be told all is A-OK.

An alarming 1 in 8 men will experience a serious issue with their prostate at some point. The prostate’s design is flawed, with no replacement parts available, so we need help from our body mechanics. DIY tune-ups won’t suffice to keep us running smoothly. I want to thank everyone who supported me in this journey so I can now continue navigating the streets of downtown and beyond for years to come. This is a happy ending and a new beginning.
Contact your primary care physician today and get your check-up done. You may very well save a life, and that is no exaggeration. I lost a friend and business partner to this issue needlessly due to acting too late. Others are still with us, thanks to modern medicine. This is not just about me; it’s about you and those you care about.

DB, Part II, Downtown Connection

In our late August issue, you may have read our story regarding the possible connection to Fullerton. Boy, did we find out some interesting details, and I hope some of you can come up with more because…

First up, our trusty Fullerton Library contributor Cheri Pape did some research and get this- we now have absolute proof that the main suspect, the main one at least in many minds, did indeed spend time here in Fullerton, and even in our downtown pokey. As detailed in that issue, Robert Rackstraw was here after landing at our local airport. He was also reportedly working here in Fullerton. Looking closely at one of the clippings Cheri found from the February 1, 1979, Fullerton News Tribune, we noticed that the author was none other than Sylvia Palmer, well-known in these parts.

We dialed her up, and she confirmed the story, having been sent to the Fullerton Jail to take notes. This is where the intrigue comes in fast. Sylvia was at the jail the night Rackstraw was incarcerated, taking notes at the behest of an FBI agent. Rackstraw “was arrested at a commercial print shop here after he allegedly tried to have Federal Aviation Administration pilot licenses and medical certificates duplicated.” After the night here, he was then transported to Stockton. Sylvia was contacted by another FBI agent and pressed on her sources after her article went worldwide, years before anything called ‘viral’ was in our lexicon, but as a journalist, she refused, even under the threat of jail time.

The Tribune article also states that Robert Rackstraw was employed as a construction superintendent on the senior citizen housing project near City Hall. We hope someone who has worked on that project or worked at the print shop will contact us. Space limits further information here today, but we hope to hear from you and wrap this up in a future issue.

Chalk On Wilshire

Yeah, the pavement was hot enough to fry eggs and crumble chalk, so the event was postponed to Saturday, October 5, 2-6 pm. Come by and feel free to participate, or just watch as the magic happens.

Photo Quiz

Send answer to Mike at AllMedia@sbcglobal.net

This time: Where is this, what is this?

Last time: What? A first, no correct answer? Too easy? Guess we will just let this one ride for now. Wow, yet we know you know.