Sylmar Hang Gliding Association

Sad news for all in the hang gliding community. Rob Kells, of Wills Wing fame died on August 9th in Austria. He succumbed to prostate cancer and associated problems.

He will be missed. I personally will miss him. He did much for our sport, and for the flying members within it. I'm too upset to say more right now.

Fly High Rob.

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There will be a memorial service for Rob Kells held on Saturday, September 6th, at 10:30 AM

For details, see the information posted at the OZ report:

http://ozreport.com/1218822939

or at WillsWing's web site:

http://www.willswing.com/

There is a also remembrance page on Wills Wing's web site if you want to post to it:

http://www.willswing.com/news/remembrance.asp

Prostate Cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States. Yet, when detected in its early stages, prostate cancer can be effectively treated and cured.

Men, the chances are good that you have or will have prostate cancer. But the chances that it will kill you are low, if you can diagnose it early.

Rob Kells just died of it. Frank Zappa died of it. Fred Waugh has it and Walt Briant has it.

I was diagnosed with "early prostate cancer" in a biopsy that was done June 25.

I had my prostate surgically removed on August 4, and a pathology report of the dissection of my prostate showed that it had not spread.

In a little over a month, I went from "I've got cancer" to "I'm cured of cancer."

There is good information at
http://www.urologyhealth.org/adult/inde ... 9&topic=39
and at

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/prostate


Prostate cancer is a significant health-care problem in the United States due to its high incidence. It is the most common non-skin cancer in men affecting approximately 234,000 American men each year with approximately 27,000 of these men dying each year.

Predominately a disease of elderly men, the diagnosis of prostate cancer is rare before age 40 but increases dramatically thereafter. In the United States, it is estimated that one in 55 men between the ages of 40 and 59 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. This incidence climbs almost to one in six for men between ages 60 and 79. This association is also reflected in mortality as prostate cancer accounts for about 10 percent of cancer-related deaths in men between the ages of 60 and 79 and nearly 25 percent in those over the age of 80.

Worldwide, prostate cancer ranks third in cancer incidence and sixth in cancer mortality among men.

The way they diagnose prostate cancer is by testing the blood level of
"prostate specific antigen" (PSA).

My primary care physician, Stewart Middler, M.D., PhD, bless his
professional rigor, noted the jump in my PSA from 2.3 to 3.2 in one year.
Although 3.2 is still pretty low, he thought the 50% increase warranted
further investigation, and sent me to a urologist, Phil Yalowitz, M.D.
Phil said that he agreed with Stu, and set me up for a biopsy, the
definitive way to diagnose cancer. It came back positive for "early
prostate cancer" limited to the left side of the prostate.

The removal surgery tells you definitively whether "We got it all," or "It
has spread," a good thing to know.

The answer is, "We got it all." Imagine my relief.

Get yer PSA checked at an annual physical checkup, my over 40-year-old buds. And watch it over the years. Stu Middler probably saved my
life, or at least, saved me from a lot of unpleasant treatments down the
road.

After my conversation with Rob, I had my PSA checked (I had a very slight enlargement, so there was some suspicion I might have an issue.) My PSA was extremely low. (Less than 0. That's a good thing. I talked to my doctor and bless him, he said "Get it checked again periodically - a change in level is more indicative than a specific level is. Although yours is pretty darned low."

So, if I get mine checked in a year, and it is 1.6, I will get a biopsy, despite the fact that 1.6 is low. Why? That's double what it is now, and a rapid increase in level is a strong indicator of the disease.

So, I add my comment to Larry's. Get it checked. And not just once. The change in level is a key indicator. Ask your doctor how often (I can't remember the schedule off the top of my head.)

And thank you Larry and Rob for getting us all thinking about this stuff.

Now let's go fly.

Congratulations Larry and welcome to the "I used to have cancer club". Mine was liver cancer, but I'm currently cured thanks to the replacement of my old liver with a new one from an unfortunate woman 2 years ago this month. I would already be dead if I had discovered it just a couple months later than I did thanks to a routine test. Early detection and treatment is the difference between oblivion and an exquisite life of flying, loving, living and helping. A simple painless test became my personal miracle and certainly the best thing that I ever did. Our medical profession can make cancer just a bump in the road, but only if you find out early. Better than winning the lottery, but you got to play to win. I won big! Get checked out guys and gals.

There has been a change in location for the church memorial service for Rob on Saturday, September 6th, at 10:30 AM:

Rob’s Memorial Service will now be held at:

The Rock Community Church
23705 Via Del Rio
Yorba Linda, CA 92887

The church is located only a short distance from the previously announced location, so any travel plans or motel reservations you have made should still work fine.

There will be a video remembrance of Rob’s life, and special live music will be performed by Amy Kells, and Rich and Jen Larson. The Rock is a non-denominational contemporary Christian church. Please feel free to dress casually for this service.

Rob would be very happy if all his friends can attend his Memorial Service and the fly-in following at Andy Jackson Flight Park. There will be a catered dinner from 4-6:00 pm and an opportunity for anyone who would like, to share their personal memories of Rob at the flight park.

Here is a link to a map to the Rock Church.

To reach the church, exit the 91 freeway at the Weir Canyon/Yorba Linda Blvd exit (same exit as in previous directions) but turn NORTH, instead of south. Go 0.4 miles to La Palma, turn right on La Palma, go 1 mile to Via Del Rio and turn left.

More information can be found at: www.WillsWing.com