November 11, 2011
               Reporter: Buddy Burk       Editor: Chuck Yeager        Photographer: Tom Black                      President:  Alex Arnold, 2011 - 2012          

THOUGHT
Louie Zamperini NOT Ernie 
FOR THE DAY...
   
We thank Ernie for delivering these words from Louie Zamperini," Even at my  age, I'm trying to improve. Never give up, no matter what. Even if you get last place-finish." (note: Mr. Zamperini is the subject of the breathtaking book, "Unbroken " by Laura Hillenbrant)  Paul Filinger put icing on the T.O.D cake by reminding us that today has been set aside to honor our veterans, and that we've also been dealt "6 aces." (11.11.11) By jove, we have many veterans in our ranks, and they were duly recognized this morning.
 
GUESTS  

Sandy Goldberg, Outreach Manager of Diablo Valley Oncol
ogy/Hematology- F.O.S (Friend of Speaker)
Cate and Natalie Bove, the cute and adorable two thirds of the attending Bove clan.
 
VISITING ROTARIANS

Alicia Cragholm of Noon Club: no longer the sole Rotarian in the household
Kevin Cragholm: who walked in for his last 14 minutes as a Rotary "outsider looking in!"
 
BIRTHDAYS
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Prez Alex appeared all chipper with a new haircut looking suspiciously like Mark Roberts
 
AND ANNIVERSARIES

Bob Reigg quietly admitted to exactly "20 something" years with Pat in the official relationship known as matrimony. We're certain that his numerical "rounding" is due to perpetual marital bliss.
 
For his birthday, David Waal was treated to a spree at that famous foofoo boutique and tyke shop, Mellow Johnny's located in Austin Texas.  However, it may have been a famous Lance Armstrong Bike Shop. 
 




INDUCTION OF KEVIN
 
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Kevin gets the formal induction 
 
After serious fanfare and inevitable comparisons to the other Cragholm, Kevin perdured his investiture by Brad Davis. With equipoise, Brad gave the full, official Lamorinda Sunrise Induction and welcome. He ACCURATELY recited the numbers in the Rotary International family. We all welcomed Kevin with traditional fanfare and aplomb.




3 MINUTES OF LEANDER
 
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Leander with new Blue Badge gives his new member talk
 
Since he was already up front after getting a Blue Badge in record time, it was as good a time as any for Leander's "mini Expose Yourself." He told us we're "more relaxed here than in Livermore ." He has Swiss and USA passports, and came here in '95. He was working back in Switerzerland around a lot of high voltage, but traveled the world, and was paid for it.  He saw countries stricken by poverty, married a new Yorker, and accepted job in Zurich intl airport. That wife didn't like the local language, so they moved to Westcheste county where he became Noise Abatement  Officer. After a few years, he went on to Sandy Eggo,  then  wound up in Hayward . Now he's Manager at Livermore . Loves it. Requires tenacity.   

 
PROGRAM:
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Dr. Sachin S. Kamath loves to spread the word about saving lives! He also embraces the energy of Rotary and believes that enthusiasm is as vital for health as for our organization.
 
He comes from Sarasota , FL and was awarded fellowships at Medical College of G
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Dr. Sachin Kamath 
eorgia and at the National Cancer Institute. Click here to see a quick greeting:
http://www.diablovalleyoncology.md/kamath-video

 

As an effective oncologist, Dr Kamath spends 90% of his time focusing on treating people, and 10% talking about it. 
 
Cancer is a scary word; we equate it with death. That shouldn't be- current survivals are up in the 80% range. Although one out of every two people will have some form of it in their lives, the cure rate is accelerating. (one out of 4 in non-skin cancers) 1 in 6 women will get breast cancer, with a 90% cure rate if caught early; Organ preservation is paramount. Balance of therapies: Quality of Life.
 
How We've Improved

Just a few years ago, using chemotherapy or radiation was a "shotgun" approach. We'd blast an area and take out a considerable mass of flesh in the process. But now, we can pinpoint radiation treatment to within 2-7 millimet
 ers of the affected area, a vast improvement over just 10-15 years ago. What does this do for us? It elevates our quality of life dramatically! With making organ preservation paramount, we can have treatment and continue to live normally, with recovery in as little as a few days. 
 
With modern imaging technology, we can now actually see what we are treating in real time, as we treat it. Gone are the hours or days awaiting results. Being able to view cancer status while actually in treatment vastly creates effective options. 
 
The radiation only takes a couple of minutes. Mini cat scanners. Side effects are temporary ..a few weeks only because of minimum invasion
 
An eye-opening aside: according to Dr Kamath, radiation therapy improves faster than computers- "exponentially faster!"
 
Personal Philosophy.

Dr Kamath loves the technical aspects of his life's craft, but primarily loves people. He sees the mix of the two as a pathway for great success.
Eliminating PSA screening as a common practice worries him.  What we save in short-term costs will create staggering costs and problems because we will only catch prostate cancer in later stages, when only major treatments remain as options. 
He believes the need to educate physicians on administering the PSA test is what we're needing. 
 
Many people believe that since insurance won't cover PSA, its not important. This is a tragedy. He didn't elaborate on the ill-effects of this type of top-down, one-size-fits-all control, but did discuss the need to customize treatment to the individual and specific type of cancer. if the decisions are taken away from the individual doctors, you wind up over-treating or under-treating. 
 
In effect, each cancer has its own personality.
 
Dr. Kamath left us with this profound thought; he sees it as a real possibility that in the next few years, we can "completely eliminate cancer as serious illness." 

 

CALENDAR

   

Friday, 11-18, 7:00 am, Ron Oldwin, Professor, St. Mary's College

Friday, 11- 25  Dark

Friday, 12 - 2, 7:00 am, Susan Captain, Lamorinda wine growers

Friday, 12 - 23, Dark

Friday, 12 - 30, Dark  


 
 

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