Quartzite Recap article printed in BOB Newsletter

Recap: RV Tent Show, Quartzsite, AZ

In late January, Dr. Lynn Martell, D.Min, Director of Special Services at Loma Linda University Health, Aaron Laudenslager, Senior Development Officer at Loma Linda University Health, Matt Miller, Senior Development Officer at Loma Linda University Health, Tricia Murdoch, Senior Development Officer at Loma Linda University Health’s School of Medicine, BOB member and RV enthusiast Vern Haase of Omak, WA, and his wife Sandy, BOB member and avid outdoorsman Scott Wilcox of Morro Bay, CA, as well as 21 other BOB member volunteers, many with their spouses, set out to host a booth at the 32nd Annual Sports, Vacation & RV Show in Quartzsite, AZ. Their goal was to spread the word and educate attendees about proton therapy for prostate cancer and other illnesses.
Scott sent us a recap:

January in Quartzsite, Arizona, is like no other place on earth! The little town of 3,400 swells to over 1,000,000 from January 17th to 25th, with RVs as far as the eye can see. The main show was held in “The Big Tent,” with an estimated attendance of over 150,000, most of whom are retired and in the age group that may have experienced cancer or know someone that has.

This year there was a new booth in “The Big Tent”— the Loma Linda Proton Beam Therapy/BOB booth. Vern estimates that thousands of people were personally contacted by BOB members and LLUCC staff members and hundreds of copies of proton therapy brochures and information sheets were handed out. In addition, any man who told us he had untreated prostate cancer or a rising PSA was given a copy of Bob Marckini’s book, “You Can Beat Prostate Cancer: And You Don’t Need Surgery To Do It” as well as an LLUCC DVD about proton therapy.

Vern and Sandy Haase spent hundreds of hours on the phone, emailing, and making sure the booth was staffed for this event and deserve special thanks for their efforts. They are another great example of BOB advocates dedicated to helping others facing cancer to get the information that might save lives.

Vern told us that he and Sandy felt the event was an “invaluable way to educate men, women, and their loved ones on the merits of proton treatment at LLUCC.” Vern and the other volunteers met and spoke with thousands of people, young and old. They learned that some had never even heard of a PSA test. Vern said, “We encouraged and even consoled many who were either experiencing cancer themselves or had a loved one who was ill.”
An event attendee told Vern, “I don’t know what you guys are doing there, but normally the old guys sit around the campfire talking about new parts for their motorhome. This time everyone was talking about prostate cancer and proton therapy.”
The new “Team Proton” has great expectations for next year. They already have ideas for improving the booth, making new connections, and are working on gathering even more volunteers for the January 2016 event. If you’re interested in attending, please contact Vern Haase at 509-826-4931 or email thevernandsandy@aol.com.