Tulsa World: Had some time between assignments today so I hit the road with my camera. The weather is so nice, it is hard to decide what to shoot. There is so much going on outside. People everywhere. And finally, I almost can't resist sooting window washers. I can try to walk on by but something always catches my eye. This time it was the guy standing above.
SEATTLE -- A Seattle window washer fighting prostate cancer says he feels like his insurance company is killing him. Bob Haller wants the latest non-invasive alternative to surgery called the Cyberknife treatment, but he says his insurance company won't cover it. At Swedish Medical Center, Haller admits he's playing a game of chance. An annual checkup found prostate cancer last November. "We are concerned the longer we wait, the higher this malignancy could spread," said Swedish Radiosurgery Medical Director Dr. Robert Meier. Haller is putting off treatment in hopes of forcing his health insurance to pay for the cutting-edge procedure. It's medical Russian roulette. "If it's not treated, unfortunately, it will lead to your demise, I'm afraid," Meier told Haller. For nearly a year, Haller has begged Regence Blueshield, the administrator of his universal medical plan, to pay for Cyberknife treatment. It's an alternative to surgery that beams high doses of radiation to cancer tumors with near-exacting precision. "One way or another, I've got to get it," said Haller.
Meier says surgery has more risks, including urinary and bowel problems, even impotence. Haller says five painless Cyberknife treatments would cure his cancer, and insists as a window washer who often dangles from buildings, he can't risk bladder issues. "Not only for me, but Regence denying a lot of us guys this particular option is just incredible," Haller said. In a statement, Regence Blueshield says it considers the Cyberknife "investigational" treatment, and as a matter of policy denies investigational procedures. Regence adds Haller has lost all appeals including an independent review. "It was investigational, but I would argue in the last six months, significant medical literature has been published to move it into the standard of care realm," said Meier. "It means my life," Haller said. Haller says he hopes media attention will lead to changes. In the meantime, he's been told he's exhausted all his appeals, and he can take the issue to court.
Andy Shankland once shared the same footballing dreams as England internationals Steve Bould and Paul Bracewell ... but his current ambition is simply to be able to walk again. Being told as a promising 22-year-old striker that his football career was over was bad enough. But being advised later that it would be better to have the lower part of his left leg amputated is the stuff of nightmares. With remarkable understatement Shankland tells his story marooned on a sofa in his modest semi-detached house a million miles away from the lifestyle of today’s highly-paid stars. Life has never been easy for Andy. He was nine when his father died, two years later he lost his mother and he was brought up by his auntie. His brother was later killed in a car crash. “I’ve had a few knocks in my life,” he says without a hint of bitterness, just grateful that football has at last recognised the 47-year-old’s plight and is rallying around to raise money for a prosthetic limb which would transform his life.
“Things were going well until I damaged ligaments in my right ankle in a collision with a keeper. “There was injury after injury once I got back into the team and a couple of consultants believed I was finished. But another operated on me and I didn’t play for about 16 months. Coming back in a pre-season game I got injured again. That was it, I was finished at the age of 22. “You don’t always appreciate what you’ve got as a footballer because you live in a bubble. I’d just bought the house and my wife Angela was pregnant. I couldn’t even play football part-time because my ankle was no good. “I had to get a job, any job, just to bring in some money. I had a few jobs before I went into window cleaning with a lad I knew.”
Eight years ago disaster struck. “I was cleaning some top windows, the ladder slipped and I landed on my left ankle – my good one, not the one that had finished my football career,” recalls Andy. “It was broken and I had it pinned. When I later went back to see the consultant there was no life in it.” Intensive physiotherapy and other treatment failed to do the trick. Shankland spent three years on crutches desperately hoping for a breakthrough before his life changed forever. “I’ll never forget the date, March 13, 2006,” he said. “A consultant recommended that I should have my left leg amputated just below the knee. I agreed. I just said ‘get it off’.”
MILWAUKEE -- Window washing at the Milwaukee Veterans Affairs Medical Center Wednesday morning caused a big scare and an evacuation. Workers were power washing the east side of the building when fumes from their machine seeped into the exhaust system. The chemical levels tripped an alarm, calling the Milwaukee Fire Department's hazmat team. About 10 employees were evacuated from the sterilization department. No patients had to leave. A spokesman from the VA said after about an hour it was safe for everyone to go back in. "Obviously, we have to take every safety measure possible, and we took it very seriously, and as soon as that alarm sensor was tripped, we contacted the fire department, and they were great coming out immediately," said Gary Kunich of the Milwaukee VA Medical Center. Hospital staff said the window washers were private contractors.
Distraction burglars chased off by window cleaner while trying to steal from pensioner: A window cleaner chased three men who tried to burgle an elderly householder. Three men knocked on the door of a property in Frontfield Crescent at 11.55am on Saturday. While one spoke to the householder, two others went upstairs and rifled through the property. The offenders were disturbed by another visitor to the address, made off, and were pursued by a window cleaner who was working in the area. The three men are described as: A suntanned male 18-23 years, unshaven with jet black hair. A white male 18-23 years wearing a sky blue coloured jumper. A white male 30 years, 5'8" tall, medium build, short cut dark coloured hair, wearing a checked shirt & black trousers. Although this is believed to be a one off incident, residents in the area are asked to be extra vigilant when dealing with cold callers. If anyone has any information in relation to this incident they are asked to phone the police on the non emergency number 101 and quote crime number EL/11/4546.
Residents ‘fed up’ with car vandals: Residents are furious someone is sneaking out in the dead of night and daubing paint stripper on their cars. Mount Pleasant resident John Riglar said as soon as cars were fixed, they were vandalised again in the same spot. The 38-year-old says the problem has now been going on for 18 months, with more than a dozen vehicles targeted. The latest were vandalised in the early hours of Sunday and again on Tuesday, with hundreds of pounds worth of damage caused.
Mr Riglar, a window cleaner who has an Alpha Romeo and a work’s vehicle, said: “It’s the same every time. They use a paintbrush to put paint stripper on the car. You don’t have to be a detective to work out that they live nearby. One woman had to pay out £1,400 to get the car fixed and then it was done again in exactly the same place. “I came in about 3am on Sunday and the car was fine but when I went out again later, it had been vandalised again. Luckily, because it was raining, it didn’t cause too much damage as it was washed off. We’re basically all fed up with it. “They must live on the street because they are walking around with a tin and a paintbrush.”
More than 17,500 wrong parking tickets issued in Brighton and Hove: Disabled motorists, window cleaners and 999 workers are among thousands of people to have been wrongly issued parking tickets. Brighton and Hove City Council has confirmed nearly 17,500 fines were dished out but later cancelled in the last financial year. The amount, which works out at 48 a day, accounts for about 16% of the 109,000 tickets issued by the council’s 74 civil enforcement officers Council bosses said it showed they were acting fairly when dealing with appeals.
Of the 17,448 cancelled penalty notices issued, more than 4,000 had a valid pay and display tickets. A further 1,000 had a visitor permit and 665 a disabled badge. More than 1,000 were issued to vehicles that drove away and 665 to cars with valid disabled badges. A further 1,765 were issued to vehicles that were unloading, 465 to broken down cars while about 80 were dropping off people. Window cleaners (40), emergency vehicles (33) and stolen vehicles (99) were among those exempt groups to have also been slapped with notices.
Clerical errors were also to blame with more than 400 issued wrongly by wardens, 90 not having enough evidence and 100 not processed properly due to “back office” mistakes. A council spokeswoman said: “The appeals process exists so that the council can take all information into account when deciding whether a penalty charge notice is payable. “We are always looking for ways to reduce cancellations.”
How to get ahead in estates management: Debbie Andalo describes the routes into housing management, whether through an apprenticeship or leadership and management training. René, who began her housing career 15 years ago as a temporary administrative assistant for a homeless men's hostel, says: "I want people to feel that they can walk out of their front door and feel unthreatened, that they can let their children play safely outside and where anti-social behaviour doesn't make them feel uncomfortable. My staff are responsible for making sure that the streets are clean and safe for residents and I make sure that happens."
René, who earns £43,000 a year, is responsible for a team of 44, mostly blue-collar staff, including 32 caretakers whom she describes as the "eyes and the ears" of the estate. Between them the team looks after 4,300 homes in Tower Hamlets and Essex. René manages all the services behind the estates' appearances such as the mobile deep-cleaning teams, window cleaning contractors, bulk refuse collections as well as seasonal services such as leaf cleaning and gritting. She is one of few women working in social housing in estate services management and admits it can sometimes be difficult in a male-dominated environment.
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