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Rob hosted today's hybrid meeting with 3 members attending in-person at Cafe Spiga and 9 members joining via Zoom. Our guest speaker, Dr. William (Will) Sellers, also attended via Zoom. Are you registered to participate in our Virtual Bingo Night Fundraiser that will take place via Zoom tomorrow, Wednesday, March 31st, from 7-8 PM.? Have you received your Bingo Card (s)? You can still share the news of this upcoming event with your friends and family. One can sign up for 1 Bingo card at $20, 2 cards for $40, 3 cards for $50 ($10 savings!), 4 cards for $80, or 6 cards for $100 ($20 savings!). Four games will be played using the same card(s). Proceeds benefit Theater Three and our club. The prizes: $20 -$50 gift cards. To register, visit https://tinyurl.com/PJRotaryBingo and fill out the registration form, especially including your email address. Pay in person at a meeting or by check to our P.O.Box. Questions? Contact Kim at kzettwoch@portjefflibrary.org . ***Kim announced that we have hit the $1,800 mark in bingo card sales! She has beaten the $1,000 mark made by Stony Brook Rotary when they held their Bingo fundraiser! Congrats, Kim, Sal, Rebecca, and all who worked on planning this event! ( Please sell more cards! ) Cindy announced the dates for the RYLA Facilitator Meetings: April 9th & 10th, and the two weekend Rotary Youth Leadership Training events, April 16th-18th, and April 23rd to 25th. (Rebecca looks forward to being a guest speaker at the latter meetings on April 17th and April 24th !) While the number of students participating is huge- requiring 2 weekends, not the usual 1- Cindy is not yet sure about how many will be coming from PJHS or the other 2 schools that we work with- except for the exceptional Port Jeff Senior, Mattea Rabeno, who is already an impressive student leader. Dennis, who is on the RYLA Budget Committee, looks forward to learning how many kids will actually participate each weekend and how many will plan to attend the RYLA summer camp. Rebecca, Village Trustee, announced that her proposal for the pilot program- the establishment of a Community Garden- passed. On May 1st, the ground breaking will take place at the Beach St. site. The ribbon cutting will take place on June 5th. Bravo, Rebecca! Also, Rob congratulated Rebecca on her thoughtful handling of the media regarding last week's shooting tragedy in the Village. Who won the Sceiford Baby Pool? None other than Michael Sceiford ! After Rob mentioned that our speaker had been a neighbor of his and was an old friend, John Perkins introduced Dr. Will Sellers, DO. Will is a nationally-known general and colorectal surgeon, who has recently returned to his home state of NY to practice his specialty as part of the Surgical Associates of LI team. Certified in Robotic Colorectal Surgery, in addition to laparoscopy and endoscopy, Will has been appointed the Chief of Colorectal Surgery at St. Charles and St. Catherine's. Passionate about his commitment to fighting cancer, Will began his audio-visual presentation by informing us that the American Cancer Society, in light of the ever-growing numbers of colon cancer cases, has lowered the suggested ages for men and women to have their colonoscopy checkups from age 50 to between 45 and 75 years of age. He pointed out the best colon cancer check options: Cologuard, a test that works at 92% efficiency at finding cancer - taken every 3 years; and, "the gold standard", a colonoscopy -performed every 10 years, which detects pre-cancer polyps early, and is more certain to lead to the best health outcomes. Will suggested that we talk to our primary doctors to see which option is best for us. But, in light of the fact that March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, he felt the need to explain his preference for the colonoscopy by pointing out the updates and changes in this diagnostic procedure. Most people feel that the worst part of the colonoscopy is the preparation for it. He assured us that the currently used bowel prep is now much easier on the patient- a Miralax-based, relatively smaller amount of prep beverage. The anesthesia used today, Diprivan, is also easier on patients, causing not as much after-procedure grogginess. Will followed up with graphic pictures of colons and polyps of the pre-cancerous and cancerous sorts. Polyps, if left alone, usually become pre-cancerous, and then invasive, spreading the cancer from the bowel to other organs. He showed a chart explaining the 4 stages of cancer. Via colonoscopies, polyps can be found, removed, and studied to see if further, more invasive procedures are warranted- the point being to remove the polyps before they reach the lymph nodes and then have the opportunity to spread to the liver and lungs (leading to liver failure or lung cancer). The doctor also pointed out the survival rates for the 4 stages of colon cancer. Again, via rather graphic (gory) film clips and photos, we were reminded why it's certainly worth getting our routine colon scans rather than experiencing a perforated colon and the life-changing need for wearing a colostomy bag. Next, Will spoke of the advancements that enhance patient recovery from cancer and other types of surgery. Why does this surgeon prefer robotic surgery? This is a tool that gives the doctor 4 arms and 4 hands instead of 2 of each. The doctor can perform necessary surgical procedures more precisely and more swiftly. When it comes to abdominal surgery, using a robot allows for a smaller incision needed to perform the task, and much quicker post-op recoveries, in which case, the patient can be sent home very soon after the medical procedure. Will is a very big believer in robotic surgery rather than the traditional type. In answer to the question," Is there a diet to ward off colon cancer?", the doctor spoke of the problem of the modern diet: we eat too much processed food. He suggested that we take a fiber supplement (Metamucil?). A low-fat, high-fiber diet is best for the colon. We thanked the good doctor for his important input. Today's Sergeant, the ever-effective Debbie, focused her questions on pencils (Today is National Pencil Day- Who Knew?) and Bingo. Among other facts we learned while club member dollars were being collected: the pencil is made up of wood and carbon and clay the latter 2 ingredients forming graphite. Long ago, graphite became popular in England- used to put markings on sheep. We learned that Bingo was an Italian invention; and NY State popularized Bingo in this country and has the highest number of bingo halls. Rebecca offered a story about how churches popularized bingo, using the games for charity. And Bingo was originally called Beano, since players covered their squares with beans and called out "beano" when they were the first to win a game. Debbie was quite proficient at raking in money with her questions and collection of Happy/Sad Dollars. Great job, Deb! We wish a healthy, enjoyable trip to Sharon and Michael who will be visiting grandchildren in S.C. for the first time in a year. They will then move onwards to New Orleans for a week or so at their time share. Best wishes are in order for Dennis, who will be undergoing pre-cataract surgery meetings, followed by the actual surgery. We send our sympathy to Debbie on the recent passing of her mother-in-law, an impressive woman who nearly reached the age of 100, was able to live in her own home and take care of herself, and also beat colon cancer- thanks to colonoscopies! Another sad note: from Bill Curry comes the news of the passing of Mike Arato, a former PJ Rotarian, who recently died of cancer. Happy Birthday, Dennis! **************************HAPPY EASTER!********************************************** |
