The Invocation was delivered by Jay Miller
Guests of Rotarians:
Joe McKane, former member, all the way from Marblehead, MA
Jesus Nava, former member, now helping with the Centennial film
Lara Pankova, BHS Rotary Scholar, currently a film major, is helping with the Centennial film.
Presentation:
Roger Royse, brother of Rotarian Al Royse and noted Silicon Valley lawyer, gave a compelling presentation on his journey battling pancreatic cancer, navigating the health care system, and his account of going from a diagnosis of terminal cancer to being cancer-free.
Roger’s experience began in 2022 when noted something physically amiss, although he presented none of the classic cancer symptoms. He located a doctor who would order a Galleri blood test, which did detect a cancer signal. Roger’s medical team ordered an MRI and a biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He began chemotherapy in July, which initially shrank the tumor by 50%, and he had surgery in November.
After the surgery, Roger was faced with a number of life-and-death decisions: when to start and end chemo, what type of chemo, when to have surgery and what type of surgery to have. Roger became increasingly interested in cancer vaccines, specifically mRNA vaccines. These vaccines are not FDA approved, but there are currently many clinical trials and they are available outside of the US.
Roger touched on a number of topics under the heading of: What I Wished I Had Known Then,” specifically about doctors, insurance and the FDA.
Further, Roger noted some of the key cancer signs and symptoms that often go unheeded, such as undiagnosed stomach pain, high CRP, low cholesterol, sudden spike in blood sugar, and sinus headaches.
Finally, Roger noted some of the key lifestyle choices that have significant impact: nutrition, exercise, alcohol, sugar intake, sleep and stress.
Rotary of Burlingame/Hillsborough applauds
Roger on his extraordinary journey and thanks him for his potentially life-saving advice.
