Katie Couric diagnosed with breast cancer; Jimmy Buffett cancels tour; Post Malone in hospital with "stabbing pain"; "Milk" screenwriter Dustin Lance Black felled by "serious" head injury
NON-fatals in the US this past week include Terry Bradshaw's strange decline, college basketball star Vince Iwuchukwu's "sudden cardiac arrest," and two other young athletes diagnosed with cancer
UNITED STATES
“There was no history of breast cancer in her family”:
Katie Couric reveals breast cancer diagnosis
September 28, 2022
Katie Couric was diagnosed with breast cancer in June, the former “Today” host announced Wednesday in a call to others to get screened. Couric, 65, was diagnosed June 21, the first day of summer and her eighth wedding anniversary, she wrote in a blog post titled “Why NOT Me?” The plan, she wrote, had been to broadcast her routine mammogram to her audience, much like she had done in 2005 and with a colonoscopy in 2000. Then, the doctor took a biopsy — and found cancer. “I felt sick and the room started to spin,” Couric wrote. “I was in the middle of an open office, so I walked to a corner and spoke quietly, my mouth unable to keep up with the questions swirling in my head.”
There was no history of breast cancer in her family; her mother had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and her father had prostate cancer. Pancreatic cancer killed her sister at 54 and colorectal cancer killed her husband at 42. But most women with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.
“I didn’t want to call Ellie and Carrie until I had a better idea of my prognosis. Finally, four days after I was diagnosed, I FaceTimed each of them. I tried to be as reassuring as [Dr. Lisa Newman at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell],” Couric wrote of her daughters. “Their faces froze in disbelief. Then shock. Then they began to cry. ‘Don’t worry,’ I told Carrie then Ellie, ‘I’m going to be fine,’ trying to convince myself as well as them. They’d already lost one parent. The idea of losing another was unfathomable.” In July, Couric had a lumpectomy. In September, she began radiation, which wrapped up Tuesday.
Jimmy Buffett Hospitalized, Postpones Remaining 2022 Tour Dates
September 28, 2022
Jimmy Buffett announced he's done touring this year and has either postponed or canceled all remaining dates after being hospitalized. The "brief" stay was followed by doctor's orders to rest and recuperate. The affected shows were scheduled for Oct. 8, 10, 12, 15 and 22.
Exact information about what is ailing Buffett is not yet known. His team simply states that, "Due to health issues and brief hospitalization, Jimmy will need to refrain from touring for the rest of the year. On doctor's orders, he must take this time to recuperate and heal. Jimmy looks forward to getting back on stage next year."
The 76-year-old Buffett has not previously revealed any major health problems. In 2018, the New York Times profiled him as more common-sense businessman these days than laid-back, boozy beach bum. He's been married to Jane Slagsvol since 1971, and together they have three children. He's varied his professional pursuits between music, restaurants and food products and the occasional acting gig.
Rapper Post Malone goes to hospital with ‘stabbing pain,’ postpones Boston concert
September 25, 2022
Less than an hour before he was scheduled to take the stage Saturday night in Boston at the TD Garden, Grammy-award nominated rapper Post Malone announced he was in the hospital and must cancel the show. In a statement published on social media at 7:32 p.m., Malone said he woke up around 4 p.m. to “cracking sounds on the right side of my body.” He said the severe pain developed overnight. Malone, who also performed in Boston on Friday night, was scheduled to take the stage at 8 p.m. Many fans were waiting in line to enter the venue when they got the news.
“It felt so different than it has before. I’m having a very difficult time breathing and there’s like a stabbing pain whenever I breathe or move. We’re in the hospital now, but with this pain, I can’t do the show tonight,” he wrote. “I feel terrible but I promise I’m going to make this up to you,” he wrote. “I love you Boston, I’ll see you soon. I’m so sorry.” A week before Saturday's show, Malone suffered bruised ribs when he fell through an opening in the stage during his performance at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Malone has won numerous awards for his work, including Billboard Music Awards and American Music Awards. He received several Grammy Award nominations.
Steelers Icon Terry Bradshaw Updates His Current Troubling Health Situation After Week 3 Struggles On Fox
September 30, 2022
Pittsburgh Steelers legend, Terry Bradshaw generated a lot of concern this week about his appearance on the last broadcast of Fox NFL Sunday. Social media was ablaze with speculation about his health and his ability to perform up to his usual standards. Information about the 74-year-old Hall of Fame quarterback’s health status continues to trickle into the public space. Bradshaw has battled depression since being diagnosed almost 27 years ago. He recently shared his philosophy with Men’s Journal about how he learned to deal with depression and seemed to indicate a willingness to go out like a Spartan warrior on his shield:
“There’s a part of me that says, how long can you do television,” Bradshaw said. “I am not through, I can tell you that. I live to entertain. Billy Graham said the minute you retire is the minute you start dying. I want to go on stage. What if I die on the Fox pregame show? I’d get the big numbers, right?”
One of Bradshaw’s appeals is that he keeps things simple. He has never strayed from his country boy roots and is often underestimated because he talks with a southern drawl. He has been shrewd enough to carve out a six-decade relationship with America as he has now been retired from football for 40 years. His current health issues are not from depression, he recently underwent radiation treatments for cancer in March, not for a non-cancerous tumor as was previously reported. Bradshaw clarified his health situation on a Facebook live stream: “The cancers are not there, I’m not dying.” Bradshaw related. “The treatment [radiation] maintains fluid in my face and my jaw, and this side of my face is partially numb. It’s coming, it’s slow, but I’m totally fine. I may not look fine, but I’m totally fine.”
Bradshaw cancelled all of his appearances in Branson, MO for his popular one-man show for the next six months. He cited health reasons and based on his love of performing, the issues are probably pretty significant. If Bradshaw is struggling with temporary issues with part of his face and jaw speaking to a crowd continuously for the length of a stage show, could be incredibly difficult: “I have a lung issue from surgery,” Bradshaw continued. “A nerve was blocked and what is happening now is asthma. I have been dealing with a lot of stuff, I’m not someone who wants to talk about it and say, ‘Woe is me, poor Terry.’ I am just telling you, so people shut up.”
Nearly all Fox staffers vaccinated for Covid even as hosts cast doubt on vaccine; more than 90% of Fox Corporation staff inoculated, according to memo announcing daily testing for unvaccinated employees
September 15, 2021
The vast majority of employees at Fox Corporation, the umbrella company for the conservative Fox News channel, are vaccinated against coronavirus and those who are not will be required to do daily testing, according to a memo sent out from bosses – despite some of its biggest screen stars questioning the vaccine. A daily test is stricter than the Biden administration’s firm mandate that businesses with more than 100 employees must require either vaccination or weekly testing.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/sep/15/fox-news-vaccines-testing-tucker-carlson
Oscar-Winning Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black Suffered ‘Serious’ Head Injury Last Month: ‘I Vanished for a While’
September 27, 2022
Dustin Lance Black , Oscar winner of best original screenplay for 2008’s “Milk,” revealed that he suffered a “serious head injury” last month, saying that the injury is the reason why he “vanished for a while.” “A month ago I sustained a serious head injury that put me out of commission,” Black wrote in an Instagram pos t. “Showing little improvement, my doctors ordered me to shut off my brain in hopes of it healing.”
Black announced the news Monday on Instagram, but did not mention any specifics about what caused the head injury. The Instagram post features a series of photos of Black and his husband Tom Daley in Greece. “But this week my sweet, over the top husband took us to the Greek Islands to make me shut off. I can already feel this trip is a step in the right direction, and I finally feel safe sharing a bit again,” he continued in his post. Black is the creator of FX’s recently released limited series “ Under the Banner of Heaven ” starring Andrew Garfield. Along with “Milk,” he also wrote the screenplay for the 2011 film “J. Edgar.”
“This has been a challenging, frightening time for a creative type who depends on what’s in his skull to work, care and love. And now I understand the road back will be long,” he wrote. He ended the post with, “More to come. Promise.”
Star College Basketball Freshman Suffered Cardiac Arrest At Practice
September 29, 2022
Earlier this summer a top basketball recruit suffered major heart failure and collapsed during an informal team practice. 5-star freshman Vince Iwuchukwu told CBS Sports that he was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He remained hospitalized for a few days, but said he received excellent medical care. He issued a statement to CBS Sports: "This past summer I had a sudden cardiac arrest during a workout. Since the event, I have received optimal care from the university and my personal expert medical team. Currently, I am adhering to the standard protocol designed to ensure my health and safety. I'm feeling great and my recovery and rehabilitation remain positive." According to the report, the school has withheld the high school basketball star from "basketball-related" activities following the scare. He's reportedly been able to take part in very limited exercises while the team practices. CBS Sports noted there is no timetable for when he might be able to return to the court. Hopefully he makes a full recovery and can get back to doing what he loves in the near future.
College Basketball Player Announces He's Been Diagnosed With Cancer
September 29, 2022
Myles Rice, who plays for Washington State, officially announced his diagnosis via the Washington State men's basketball Twitter account. "Sometimes we never understand why, but we trust God's plan. Recently, I received some devastating news that I have been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of cancer that will interrupt my 2022-23 basketball season," part of the statement read. "I will beat this heinous disease and will use my success to be a positive inspiration and uplifting testimony for others. My diagnosis has made me desire to dedicate even more of my time and energy to my family's non-profit organization, the S.O.L.O. Center (Supporting Overcoming Life's Obstacles). I appreciate all the love and support I have received so far and look forward to the day when I RING THE BELL." Rice played in one game for the Cougars last season and was supposed to be a redshirt freshman this season.
Girl Swimmer, 8, Had To Pull Out Of A Swim Meet Due To Fatigue, ‘Baseball-Sized Lump’ In Her Chest: It Turned Out To Be Cancer
September 27, 2022
Lydia Gerdes, 12, overcame an Ewing sarcoma diagnosis, 101 doses of chemotherapy, 32 days of radiation and 22 blood transfusions over the course of seven months to get back to the sport she loves: swimming. Ewing sarcoma is a type of sarcoma that occurs in bones or in the soft tissue surrounding the bones, and “lifelong monitoring” is generally recommended after treatment for the disease.
“I’m a swimmer.” This was the phrase Lydia Gerdes never failed to forget as she sat through months of treatment for sarcoma. Lydia was only 8 when she first started having struggling with her health. She traveled to a swim meet with her mother but was unable to compete all weekend due to her flu-like symptoms. And when she got back home, her fever and illness only grew, and she even woke up with a baseball-sized lump on her chest.
Shortly after – just two weeks before her 9th birthday in 2019 – Lydia discovered she had a rare cancer called Ewing sarcoma. "This was like a parent’s worst nightmare,” her mother, Michele Gerdes, said of the early days at the hospital. “Lydia is a very stoic person,” Michele said. “Even through all of the treatment, she wouldn’t get upset or worried.” Instead, Lydia put her head down and pushed through. She completed all her school work for the third grade in between chemotherapy treatments, insisted on taking a state-mandated standardized test and even learned how to weave for a project on Native American culture. She didn’t even have to have a late start to fourth grade and returned to swimming two months before her treatment ended. “She’s the most coachable kid I’ve ever had,” Lydia’s coach at Humboldt Swim Club said. “She wants to challenge herself. I mean, she smiles the whole time. It makes my life easier when she’s at practice.”
Now in the sixth grade, Lydia is only continuing to challenge herself. In fact, she just partook in the Swim Across America campaign where she swam 1.5 miles across San Francisco Bay. As an advocate and cancer survivor, she raised over $10,000 “to support the same oncology programs and research that saved [her] life.”
“My daughter is one of the toughest, bravest humans I know,” Michele said. “And you know she wants to just move on and be a 12-year-old kid.”
CDC: 222 People at the Grand Canyon Got Sick With ‘Explosive’ Symptoms
September 30, 2022
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that a possible norovirus outbreak sickened at least 222 people who visited Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. “At least 222 rafters and backpackers became infected, probably with norovirus,” said the agency in a recent update. “Strong partnerships with river outfitters and National Park staff members enabled implementation of prevention and control measures.” Between April 1 and June 17, tourists reported being sick during or after their trips to the Grand Canyon, the CDC said. Of that figure, 178 people reported being sick during their visits, and at least 94 rafters reported vomiting while another 79 reported diarrhea, according to the agency. “Specimens from portable toilets used by nine river rafting trip groups were tested … and test results were positive for norovirus,” the CDC said.
In response, an executive with the Grand Canyon River Outfitters Association said that a norovirus outbreak of that scale is highly unusual. “For us to experience the several trips that did have norovirus, that was just unprecedented. We’ve never experienced anything to that level ever,” John Dillon, the executive director of the Grand Canyon River Outfitters Association, told local media outlet AZFamily. And a spokesperson for the Grand Canyon park, Jan Balsom, told the Daily Beast that they “haven’t seen something like this kind of outbreak in about 10 years.” In June, park officials said in a release that “comprehensive control measures” have been implemented in response to the outbreak. Since then, they’ve seen a “marked decrease in reports of illness,” the release said. CDC authorities did not elaborate on a possible cause of the outbreak.
I was mostly a fan of Terry Bradshaw over the years, but when he erupted on mainstream with disdain & criticism of QB Packer Aaron Rogers over his personal choice to not get the quackcene & ol’ Terry ranted about how Rogers lied (he didn’t) - I was done supporting Terry. If you cannot have some semblance of understanding the necessity of making personal health choices & not being coerced into the mob mentality & the abysmal false narrative ...I don’t have time to listen to that person. I am sorry he is not well.
The delusional psychosis is a wonder to behold.