SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018
9 A
U S TOO P ROSTATE C ANCER S UPPORT G ROUP —
Behind the headlines
B Y B OB H ORNEY
CANCER SURVIVOR
U S TOO CHAPTER LEADER
I
n March, I challenged you to
determine your personal posi-
tion on prostate cancer screen-
ing. I’m hoping it was an easy
choice for men at increased risk
due to a family history with
N OTES
prostate cancer. We who have been
diagnosed with the disease are usu-
ally quite vigilant in advising other
male family members to “get
checked.”
I’m sure, on the other hand, that
many men with no prostate cancer
in their family, don’t receive that
nudge. They may fly right through
young adult-hood (or even their
entire life) without ever giving it a
second thought. Us TOO Florence
is trying to change that because we
have seen too many families lose
the husband, father and grandfather
simply because prostate cancer
screening slipped under the radar.
Last month I gave you a couple
possible outcomes of screening
versus non-screening, such as
diagnosing the cancer while cur-
able versus diagnosing it because
of symptoms and too late for a
cure.
This month I want to lead you to
FROM THE
men who will gladly share their
personal experiences with screen-
ing without telling you what to do.
Where does one turn for this infor-
mation? I’m going to suggest (sur-
prise!) Us TOO Florence for three
powerful reasons: Access to sur-
vivors, a urologist at each meeting
and the time necessary to ask your
questions.
Reason No. 1: Access to sur-
vivors of prostate cancer. I see
tremendous value in talking with
men on the prostate cancer journey.
If you are deciding whether or
not to be screened for the disease,
there is value in speaking personal-
ly with men who have not only
made their choice but are living
with the results of it. These are
real-live stories of our friends and
neighbors.
Granted, some of our survivors
did not make a conscious choice to
be screened and were subsequently
diagnosed with incurable prostate
cancer. New drugs are prolonging
their lives, but not providing the
cure they so desperately want.
Reason No. 2: Access to urolo-
gists: We have urologist Dr. Bryan
Mehlhaff at our evening meetings
and
urologist
Dr.
Roger
McKimmy, specialist with urinary
incontinence and sexual impo-
tence, at our lunch meetings.
The value in having urologists
to question is that they are on the
firing line — the ones who diag-
nose and treat prostate cancer.
Both are straight-shooters who will
tell you exactly how it is. It is
important that you get their per-
spective on screening and how it
relates to lives saved and lives lost.
They see their responsibility as
providing all the information you
want or need to make YOUR deci-
sion.
Have you ever been petting a
sweet, lovable, docile pussy-cat
when it suddenly leaves your hand
scratched and bloody? Welcome to
prostate cancer. Urologists do their
best to separate the prostate cancer
pussy-cats from the tigers and treat
them accordingly, but there are sur-
prises.
Oregon Urology Institute has a
motto: “Knowing is better than not
knowing.” That, of course, refers
to non-symptomatic screening ver-
sus an exam and diagnosis due to
symptomatic prostate cancer. A
non-symptomatic diagnosis is
more likely to be curable.
Reason No. 3: Guaranteed time:
Since I facilitate the meetings, I
will guarantee that you have all the
time necessary to get your ques-
tions asked and answered by sur-
vivors and urologists. Men who
bring these (and other) important
personal questions to our meetings,
move right to the front of the line.
We can give you upwards of
three hours per month at our Us
TOO Florence meetings to ask
questions.
Our Us TOO Florence meetings
are the second Tuesday of each
month, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the
Presbyterian Church of the
Siuslaw.
Dr. Mehlhaff attends these
meetings and has for 14 years.
On the third Tuesday of each
month at Ichiban Restaurant, from
noon to 1 p.m., we meet with Dr.
McKimmy and his PA, Cameron
Derbyshire in attendance.
We look forward to sharing our
information to help you (and your
significant other) make this impor-
tant screening decision.
FACT: During the PSA Era,
prostate cancer has recorded the
greatest reduction in mortality
among all cancers.
S ILTCOOS —
Of coots and men
B ARRY S OMMER
Special to Siuslaw News
A
h, retirement. The bane of
wives with their “Honey-
Do” lists and a boon to
golf pro shops nationwide. Having
an interest in neither I instead have
used my lazy days busying myself
with diving head first into the
world of nature and the seasons.
After living at the Siltcoos for over
a year I can honestly tell you that
the four faces of nature can be best
described as humbling, especially
to a city bred boy like me.
Well, they can also be described
as prickly, stinging and messy but
for the sake of attempting to adapt
to the natural world around me,
let’s just say I am finding the fact
that nature is everywhere a little
intimidating.
And where did these thousands
of shades of green come from? I
wouldn’t mind a bit of color
thrown in, maybe a bit of pale
turquoise or some heliotrope
would help break the overwhelm-
ing verdant of shrub and tree. No
offense to said shrub and tree (hat
tip to my Druid friends) but it does
take a bit of learning to navigate
safely the unfamiliar rural world of
gravel, dirt, biting vines, giant
ferns, one lane logging roads and
ancient native paths covered in all
manner of things that draw blood.
For me, the path frequently trav-
elled (free of floral threats) is the
one leading to the shores of the
Siltcoos, at the end of the Westlake
Resort dock. Aged wooden planks
fit together to become one long fin-
ger stretching eastward, the bench-
es floating at the end providing a
perfect repose to soak in the morn-
ing sun and watch the coots gather
for their morning ritual.
No, not my neighbors, although
there is consensus that many of us
do qualify to use that moniker, but
rather Fulica Americana, the feath-
ered fowl of shallow, vegetative
Oregon coastal lakes. Being raised
as an urbanite, birds were wrapped
in cellophane (well that word dates
me) and meant to be grilled and
then enjoyed with potato salad and
watermelon on July Fourth.
Knowing nothing of the world
outside brightly illuminated aisles
filled with processed and frozen
foods, my introduction to wild
waterfowl came with a very steep
learning curve.
Who knew birds dived below
the water’s surface for food? Who
knew adult coots “tousled” their
young to starvation in order to save
the few strong hatchlings? Who
knew I would be exposed to this
carnage? The vision is permanent-
ly embedded as something I can
never un-see and now I am no
longer a nature virgin. This will not
stop me from enjoying the passage
of time and season but it will give
me pause to ponder the cruelty and
majesty that is Mother Nature.
And since she always bats last,
we know who ultimately wins the
game.
On any morning I’ll be out on
the end of the dock, taking in our
local covert of coots engaging in
their early feeding time. They
come from the reeds and rushes
surrounding the sandy shoreline, a
mighty armada of between tens
and hundreds, white beaks shining
against the coal black of their
feathers. They are not ducks but a
distinct order called Gruiformes.
Wikipedia describes this order
as “crane-like” although I have yet
to see a coot with long legs, a long
neck or one that willingly eats a
rodent.
They do however behave in
ways that are mimicked by us
humans. Wikipedia says this about
their behavior, “When swimming
on the water surface, American
coots exhibit a variety of interest-
ing collective formations, includ-
ing single-file lines, high density
synchronized swimming and rota-
tional dynamics … and sequential
take-off dynamics.”
Anyone who has been to an
“Active Senior” center will instant-
ly recognize the single file line that
snakes into the dining room, chore-
ographed to the timing of the
uncovering of the steam trays of
carefully prepared food. Ever see
an aquabatics class at a senior cen-
ter?
Synchronized swimming that
would make coots blush and Esther
Williams proud.
When the activities bus pulls up
for the day and the doors open, you
will witness sequential take-off
dynamics from the assembled
wrinkled masses worthy of Blue
Angels admiration.
It’s incredible how motivating
$5 in free slot money and an all
you can eat casino buffet can be.
That we work and play literally
surrounded by water means it is
normal that we start taking on the
traits of this naturally moist world,
and as well do the winged
wildlings adapt and conform to the
world we bring to them.
They stare at us funny while we
play Duck Duck Goose (why not
Coot Coot Grebe?) and dance the
chicken dance, while we have deep
conversations on whether shallots
and a white sauce would go well
with a roasted, stuffed and crisped
bird. I believe if coots were aliens
and the first thing they saw after
landing on earth was us doing the
chicken dance, we would be vapor-
ized on the spot, deemed too dan-
gerous to be let loose on an unsus-
pecting universe.
The water-based coots at lake’s
edge entertain and amuse all
through the year, a tribute to the
great web of life we are all
immersed in.
Us land-based coots have only
to annoy family and friends with
our memories of times long past,
obsess over our fascination with
shoes that close by Velcro, contin-
ue the never-ending quest for that
one “good” doctor and getting that
certain satisfaction that comes
when we tell our grandkids how
special they are while we “tousle”
their hair.
OPRD reminds visitors, coast residents to be safe
The arrival of spring brings
many visitors to the Oregon coast,
and the Oregon Parks and
Recreation Department (OPRD)
wants visitors and residents to be
safe while exploring the shoreline.
Coastal threats can come in the
form of powerful waves, unstable
logs on beaches and erosion of
rocks and cliffs.
“People are so excited for the
spring sunshine that sometimes
Let me Showcase your property.
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Melody Beaudro
Principal Broker
541 991-2151
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Last 2 Day Sale,
household, furniture, new layer
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great buys!
3960 Munsel Creek Dr., Florence.
541-997-1782.
Fri-Sat 4/13-4/14,
9am-5pm.
Everything goes!
Fri-Sat 4/13-4/14
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Sun 4/15 9am-2pm,
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Indoor multi-family yard sale!
W/lots of great things for
everyone including pets.
Buying or Selling? I can help.
Booth Island #1300 – Enjoy nature at its best,
all from your own island retreat. Over 100’ of
lake frontage with 1.2 acres of pristine beauty on
Siltcoos Lake. Kayak the Siltcoos River down to
the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy boating and fishing and
all Siltcoos Lake has to offer. $99,000. #2729-
17237076
Get Results...List With Richard.
10424 Trail Creek Rd –
Nice Upper North Fork
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private 1960 sqft home
plus guest quarters, barn,
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#2793-17247036
Ed Kopilec
Principal Broker
541 991-8630
1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200
1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200
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roll it over you.
• Know when the tide is coming
in, especially when exploring tide-
pools. It's easy to become stranded
by the incoming tide when your
attention is elsewhere.
You can keep track of tides with
a tide table; OPRD park rangers
and many local businesses can
give you one for free.
• Be careful on cliffs and rocks.
They can be unstable due to ero-
sion. Stay on marked trails and do
not climb over fences. Both are
there to keep you safe.
For more Oregon coast safety
information, watch the new Cape
Kiwanda safety video on the
Oregon State Parks YouTube page.
Richard Beaudro
Principal Broker
541 991-6677
1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200
in Our Community.
safety takes a back seat,” said
Stevenson. “But preparation and
common sense go a long way to
keeping you safe on the coast.”
Stevenson listed several tips for
ensuring a safe excursion on the
coast:
• Always keep one eye on the
ocean so you won’t be caught off
guard if a bigger wave surges up
the beach.
These “sneaker waves” are
unpredictable, powerful and espe-
cially dangerous for children.
• Stay away from logs on the
wet sand or in the surf. These logs
can weigh several tons and can be
moved by only a few inches of
water. The ocean is strong enough
to pick up even the biggest log and
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In shop or Mobile
ASE CERTIFIED TECH
for Truck, Auto and RV Repair
FACEBOOK.COM/PETERSENAUTODETAIL
541-997-8287
