Camp Holloway Discussion Forum - Research Archive - 11/11/00 to 01/21/10

Falcon 6 - Mike Stark 1946-2008

My pal Mike Stark passed away earlier today in Phoenix AZ. Three of us from CT managed to get there to see him early this week, while he was still lucid and alert, without much discomfort...

Some of you guys met him at the reunion at Mark's place in Northfield. He was a retired LTC, Gun Platoon Flight Lead for the 155th AHC Falcons out of Ban Me Thuot in 1969 and 1970. He spent summers here in CT and we walked a few miles together every morning, then later each day we got on our Harleys and undid the good we did walking.

He was in perfect health until the whites of his eyes turned yellow three weeks ago. Jaundice, his liver had failed. Diagnosis, liver cancer. A week ago, his kidneys failed. Today he died.

The following is the important part:

They identified his cancer as being caused by a parasite found in fish that are normally eaten uncooked in Southeast Asia. The parasite lives in the liver and many years later causes lesions that develop into cancer. There are no symptoms until it is too late to treat.

The parasite is easily killed by drugs if caught before it causes problems.

I am not concerned about it, because I never ate anything in Vietnam that did not come out of an OD can, and I've got other things to worry about. The fat from the can of Ham With Water Added will probably do me in. But if you ate any uncooked fish, bought on the economy, you might think about passing this information along to your doctor. Do not expect them to know about this; it is rare in this part of the world.

But it killed Mike Stark in three weeks.

Bob Kilpatrick

(None of my business, but I think today they call that "sushi?" No thanks.)

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