225+ short stories + 1 Fiction Novel (3 "Maury" Novellas) plus More

Art Youmans Stories

225+ short stories + 1 Fiction Novel (3 "Maury" Novellas) plus More

Cancer

Cancer story #1

Art Youmans, “If You’re Diagnosed with Cancer,” 11 June 2019

Approximately 40% of American men & women will be diagnosed with cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

If you lead a risky lifestyle, using tobacco, illegal drugs, boozing it up, overdosing on sodas & other sugary products, eating junk foods & packaged unhealthy foods etc., your odds of being diagnosed with cancer are much greater than 40%. It’s much like playing Russian roulette with 3 bullets chambered in a 5-shot revolver.

When you visit your oncologist’s office, you’ll need a Rosetta Stone, or dictionary, to understand the various tests he/she may schedule for you.

Listed below are many of the diagnostic tests the oncologist could suggest:

Position Emission Tomography (PET) Scan. They inject a radioactive tracer that is more visible in organs & tissues that have cancer. Often combined with a CT scan, it shows if the cancer is present or has spread so they can monitor how a tumor is responding to chemotherapy . CT scan. Also known as Computed Tomography (CT) Scan Uses multiple X-rays to create a three-dimensional picture of the scan area.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Gives detailed pictures of areas in the body, using magnets that create a magnetic field & a computer link creates a 3-D picture of body tissues.

Ultrasound An imaging test that uses high-frequency sound waves to create pictures of internal organs & tissues. It does not emit harmful ionizing radiation like an X-ray or Backscatter Scanner in an airport.

EKG & Echocardiogram Measures the electrical activity of the heart. Since chemotherapy can damage the heart, this test is often used.

Biopsy Collects a tissue sample, often with a needle or surgically, from a suspected cancer & examines it under a microscope.

Bone Marrow Aspiration & Biopsy Remove fluid (aspiration) or a solid piece (biopsy) from the bone marrow to diagnose blood cancers.

Bone Scan Inject radioactive substance into your veins to test body for cancer that has started or has spread to the bones. A scanner measures the radioactivity.

Barium Enema You drink a contrast medium & get an X-ray of your colon & rectum to identify cancerous growths.

Colonoscopy Insert a thin, flexile tube with light & camera into the rectum to identify colorectal cancer & precancerous polyps.

Mammography Low-dose X-ray for signs of breast cancer. Often a tumor must grow 8 to 10 years before it can be detected by mammography.

PAP Test AKA PAP Smear Tests a swab of cells from a woman’s cervix for precancerous & cancerous changes.

Stool Test Shows whether there is a low or high likelihood of colorectal cancer or a precancerous condition.

The type of diagnostic test used will depend on your age, the type of cancer suspected & the symptoms you are experiencing. The results of your lab tests will also be considered.

If diagnosed with cancer, I wouldn’t consider radiation or chemotherapy, but would give thought to surgery or an alternative treatment overseas. If you're old or have a weak immune system, chemotherapy will likely kill you. When my Mom was diagnosed with cancer at age 90, this is what her doctor told her.

From reports I’ve read, chemotherapy kills about 35% of the patients & many American oncologists wouldn’t even consider it for their family members.
From media reports, there are around 213 different types of cancer, caused by a huge number of different triggers.(e.g. Breast cancer, Pancreatic cancer, Brain cancer etc.)

Whenever I hear a charlatan say he will find a cure for cancer, I realize that that person is lying to get either money or votes.

This statement got Oral Roberts $75 million dollars for Tulsa's City of Faith Hospital in about 1974. Of course, President Roberts only found the cure for his own poverty.

Hopefully dumb voters won't give the presidency of the United States to a lying politician, Joe Biden, who also claimed, if elected in 2020, he'd find a cure for cancer. Joe made this announcement in early June, 2019. I doubt if a cancer cure will ever be found until oxygen, colloidal silver & other alternative cures, used overseas, are allowed in the USA.

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Cancer Story 2

Art Youmans, “Advances in Cancer Research,” 12 February 2019

Since President Richard Nixon declared the War on Cancer in 1971, there has not been any progress in defeating the disease from American researchers until now. I was shocked that the primary agency of the U.S. Government, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), responsible for funding biomedical & public health research, has actually accomplished worthwhile research that could make obsolete the only three (3) ways the law now permits a doctor to treat cancer, which are: 1. Radiation; 2. Chemotherapy, and; 3) surgery.

Currently, Big Pharma has legal control of cancer treatment in the U.S.A., & threatens doctors with the loss of their medical licenses if they try any cancer treatment but radiation, chemotherapy or surgery. Because of Big Pharma lobbying congress to pass research-restrictive laws, little alternative cancer research was ever done in the USA.

Cancer is a $200 billion a year business in the U.S.A, & Big Pharma will fight to the death against all natural cures like cesium chloride or grape seed extract, which are used successfully overseas. (Natural cures can't be patented.) Numerous alternative cancer treatments, like the use of Laetrile I.V. therapy, that President Reagan used to save his life, more than 3 decades ago, have been discovered in Europe. An article about the NIH funded cancer research, which has collected detailed data about more than 10,000 tumors arising from 33 different types of cancer, recently appeared in the "Tulsa
World" newspaper, 12 September 2018, p. DIO.

The analysis of this NIH data is known as the PanCancer Atlas, that took 10 years to compile from 27 scientific. cancer research papers & the findings of 150 cancer researchers. As a result of this NIH research, these changes are being made in cancer research techniques: Rather than approach tumors based solely on what part of the body where they originate, the shift is to classify them based on their molecular similarities. One type of tumor with a singular genetic profile was found in 25 different places in the body. The NIH data base has made it possible to create sub-grouping of similar cancers, making it easier to design a "silver bullet" to kill the cancer before a hospital kills you with chemotherapy.

Researchers are finally looking at ways to starve tumors (sugar is cancer cells favorite food), weaponized the immune system & even rewrite the tumor's genetic code. I've always considered radiation & chemotherapy to be worthless for these reasons: Radiation is a buckshot approach to killing cancer cells. Too much tissue surrounding the cancer is damaged. Proton radiation therapy is much better as it uses the rifle shot of radiation. Radiation equipment is expensive. A few years ago, when a friend was about to undergo radiation for prostate cancer, I recommended he get Proton radiation. We found that Tulsa had no Proton radiation machines, but Oklahoma City did. If I had prostate cancer, I would have driven the 200 mile round-trip to Oklahoma City for 35 Proton radiation treatment. He stayed in Tulsa for treatment. Chemotherapy kills about 35% of those who take the treatment, which makes you sick as a dog. In a recent poll of oncologists, 71% of them say that they wouldn't recommend chemotherapy for any of their immediate family. Unless I was very drunk, or a lot more senile, I'd never sign up for chemotherapy.:)

Much of this research by NIH should be used by overseas researchers to eventually find cures for the more than 215 types of cancer.

Big Pharma will direct most of the NIH research to develop drugs to treat, but never completely cure the cancers.

Therefore, my advice is to take these simple steps to try to prevent cancer.
1. Never drink or eat food that has sugar or a sugar substitute in it, which includes soft drinks, ice cream & frozen yogurt etc. Read labels before buying food in the supermarket. Sugar is cancer's favorite food for rapid growth of cancer cells. Most all restaurant cold slaw in Oklahoma is highly sugared so avoid ordering it. Ask the waitress if the cold slaw is sugared. She'll likely check with the cook & then tell you "Yes."
2. If you plant a garden, use organic seeds. Avoid food sprayed with Roundup's glyphosate, which overseas animal studies prove can cause cancerous tumors to grow in animal studies. Consider using a special chemical wash (that Trent Wilhelm suggested to me a few months ago) on non-organic fruit & vegetables to remove the toxins. Buy the chemical wash in any health food store like Trader Joe's or Sprouts..
3. You'll sleep much better if your electronics, like computer & cell phone are at least 6.5 feet away from your brain. During the day, minimize your time with your cell phone pressed against your ear. Some folks believe that too much electrical radiation next to your skull, over time, can cause brain cancer in some folks.
4. Eat a diet with less meat & more fish, if possible. Any meat you eat should be from chickens, cattle or hogs fed an antibiotic-free & growth hormone-free diet. In Tulsa, this type of meat can be found in Tulsa at Braum's dairy stores, Harvard Meats, Whole Foods, Sprout's & other health-related places.
5. Eat more raw vegetables & berries for good health to strengthen your immune system. A strong immune system fights the growth of cancer cells into a tumor. It takes 8 to 10 years of cancer-cell growth before a tumor becomes large enough to be detected.
6. Never eat junk food or packaged food prepared by a food processor at the supermarket or elsewhere.. This type of diet will weaken your immune system. A weak immune system can kill you.

Beat the Odds Your odds are one in twenty (or 5%) of getting colon (AKA colorectal) cancer, the 2nd deadliest cancer in the USA.

However, people with high blood levels of Vitamin D of 30 to 40 ng/ml had the lowest risk of ever getting colon cancer. To maintain a high level of Vitamin D, I take 2,000 IU of Vitamin D3 daily with meals.

If you want to have your doctor check your Vitamin D levels, ask for the "25(OH)D blood test.."
To keep your Vitamin D blood levels over 30 ng/ml, do these 3 things:
1. Eat foods rich in Vitamin D like cold-water fish, dairy, butter & mushrooms. 2. Spend 20 minutes a day in bright sunshine. 3. Take 1,000 IU or 5,000 IU weekly of Vitamin D. (SOURCE: Michael Cutler, M.D. quote in "The Vitamin Proven to Boost the Odds Against Colon Cancer," Dr. Adria Schmedthorst)

The End

Cancer Story 3

Art Youmans, “Skin Cancer,” 31 July 2018

Skin cancer is the most common of all human cancers.

Cancer occurs when normal cells undergo a transformation & grow & multiply abnormally. These cancerous cells form tumors & overwhelm normal cells by absorbing the nutrients that normal cells need to survive.

Most skin cancers are basal cell carcinomas & squamous cell carcinomas, which are malignant but are unlikely to spread to other parts of the body.

A small number of skin cancers are malignant melanomas, which are a highly aggressive cancer that spreads to other parts of the body, & can be fatal if not treated early.

Skin cancer is of interest to me, now, since I’m scheduled for a major skin cancer operation on Monday, August 6th, to remove cancerous tissue from a cancerous growth on the shin bone, about 7 inches below the knee on my right leg. The Docs will give me only a series of local anesthetics & continuously scrape cancerous material from my leg, biopsy it, often, until they get all the cancerous flesh removed. The operation could take up to 4 hours. I requested general anesthesia, but the nurse I spoke with on the phone said they had to use a local anesthetic. The procedure is Mohs micrographic surgery, where the surgeon removes tissue, layer by layer, until cancer-free tissue is reached. (The surgery went well & a Squamous Cell Carcinoma was cut out.)

On July 6th, I picked up my car from a local paint & body shop. As I was paying the bill. The owner came up to me with the story of his skin cancer Mohs micrographic surgery done on his back, recently.

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“It was awful,” he complained. “I’ll never do that, again.”

I never mentioned to him that I was having the identical surgery done on my right leg, (that he had on his back) on August 6th. I have no other alternatives, so I’ll go through with this operation, which may be 4 hours of unpleasantness but might extend my life a year or more.

Skin cancers start as precancerous lumps, bumps & pimples etc. Over times these can become cancerous & are usually removed by your dermatologist with liquid nitrogen or minor surgery.

Any pimple that is still there after a month should be looked at by your dermatologist. My 1st cousin, Joe, died from a small pimple in his right arm pit that he ignored. The pimple became cancerous & killed him at age 81.

Skin cancer symptoms depend on the type of cancer you have. Any sore on your skin that does not heal, or disappears & pops up nearby, changes color or size, is potentially cancerous.

A general easy-to-remember guideline, “ABCDE,” is useful for identifying malignant melanomas which are the most aggressive skin cancers that kill you when they spread through the body. See below:

Asymmetry – One side of lesion does not look like the other. Border Irregularity- Edges of lesions may be notched or irregular. Color –Melanomas are often a mixture of black, tan, brown, blue, red, or white. Diameter – Cancerous lesions can be larger than a pencil eraser (6mm) or even smaller, if detected early. Evolution – Has a mole changed over time?
Periodically, check your body for moles & lesions that you can show to your dermatologist.

Have a friend check your back or other hard-to-see areas, like arm pits, for suspicious growths

. 8 Surprising Ways to Avoid Getting Skin Cancer (Source: “Newsmax magazine,” July 2018, pages 70-71) An Italian 2015 study showed that people with higher intakes of vegetables, fruit & fish have a 34-57% lower risk of developing melanoma (the deadliest skin cancer) Drinking green tea, black tea or caffeinated coffee regularly lowered basal carcinoma risk by 40%. Applying a skin cream with vitamins C, or E plus another antioxidant, ferulic acid protects against UV rays & reduces lesions that lead to skin cancer. Regular exercise protects the skin from cancer by improving the ability of pre-cancerous skin cells to self-destruct & inhibits tumor formation after the skin’s exposed to UVB radiation. Use lip balm or lipstick that contains an SPF of at least 15 & sunglasses that block 99% of UVA & UVB rays.

Squamous & basal cell cancers can develop on your lips & melanomas can even develop inside your eyes (since eyes have melanin-producing cells.) UV rays can penetrate glass so tint your car windows & windows in your home in front of which you spend a lot of time.

Excessive UV rays can harm you Drink moderately. Harvard University reviewed 13 medical studies in 2017 & found that folks who drank more than 1 glass of wine per day had a +7% chance of developing basal cell carcinoma & an 11% higher risk of getting squamous cell carcinoma.. Skip the nail-drying lamp at the nail salon. According to Patricia Farris, M.D., a dermatologist from New Orleans, these nail drying lamps after a manicure emit low levels of UV radiation, that, over time, increases the risk for skin cancer. She recommends that you let your nails air dry

If you live long enough, you’ll get both pre-cancerous & cancerous growths on your body. To date, I’ve had well over 20 pre-cancerous growths frozen by liquid nitrogen by my dermatologist who has also surgically-removed a total of 3 deep lip & nose growths

My August 6th leg operation is my 1st major skin cancer operation. If I’m lucky, the surgeon will surgically-remove all the cancerous tumor before it metathesizes throughout my body & kills me. As a realist, I’m aware that I’m not in control of my future, anymore. Therefore, don’t worry about me. Whatever the surgeon tells me after the operation is okay with me. I never waste time worrying about stuff over which I have no control. Life is a gift. Whatever seconds, minutes, days, weeks, months, & years that I have left on earth are a gift to me from God. Thanks, God. I’ll gladly accept whatever time you & Father Time allot to me.

SOURCE: The article, below, is from the article “Skin Cancer Symptoms You Can’t See,” August 29, 2017, healthylifestylearena.com

“Most of the time—99 out of 100 cases—skin cancer is clearly visible on the outside of the body (though realizing that a funky mole, rash, blemish or lesion is malignant isn’t always so easy). Yet there are exceptions to every rule, and this one is no different. Of course, an advanced melanoma could—depending on its location—cause pain, headaches, or other non-skin symptoms. But by that point you would likely have “a pretty large, ulcerated tumor or wound on the skin,” says Zaineb Makhzoumi, MD, a surgeon and assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “It’s not something you wouldn’t notice.” What we’re talking about here are the rare exceptions in which non-skin symptoms are your very first clue that you have skin cancer. Here are seven signs you should know about, just in case you happen to fall into that unlucky 1%. Lumps beneath your skin You can’t see them. But if you feel lumps beneath your skin—especially in areas like your groin, armpit, or neck—those may be an indication of skin cancer that has spread to your lymph nodes, says Jeremy Davis, MD, a clinical instructor and surgeon at UCLA Health. (Here are five totally normal reasons your breasts feel lumpy.) “It’s not common, but there are situations where your immune system takes care of the primary mole or skin lesion even though the cancer itself has metastasized,” he explains. “So the cancer started on your skin, but you never saw it.” A good rule of thumb: If you find a lump anywhere, see your doctor. Abdominal pain Along with your lymph nodes, melanoma can spread to your liver. If that happens, you may experience pain in the “upper right quadrant” of your abdomen, Davis says. He’s quick to add that this sort of pain is related to many health conditions, some of which aren’t too scary (like gallstones). So don’t freak out—but do see a doctor.

Breathing problems once a melanoma has metastasized, it could also spread to your lungs, Davis says. “If it goes to the lungs, it could present as shortness of breath or a persistent cough,” he explains. If you’re experiencing those symptoms, “the odds are against it being melanoma,” he says. (Asthma or bronchitis is more likely.) “But you still want to get checked out.” Achy joints Along with your lymph nodes, lungs, and liver, your bones are one of the places a melanoma may spread—even if your skin symptoms have resolved themselves, Davis says. If that’s the case, you may experience arthritis-like symptoms like joint pain. If you can’t figure out why your knees or hips are aching, see your doctor to sort it out. Blurry vision Melanoma cancers begin in the melanocytes, pigment-producing cells found mostly in your skin, Davis says. “But melanocytes are also found in the eyes and other parts of the body, so in rare cases you can have primary cancers turn up in one of those locations,” he says. If you develop a melanoma in or around those cells in your eye, blurry or impaired vision may be one of your first symptoms, he explains. “You might also see pigments or discolorations in the iris of the eye,” he says. (These are the eight worst things you can do to your eyes.) When melanoma strikes your eyes or other non-skin melanocytes, it has nothing to do with sun exposure, Davis says. “It may in some cases be related to a genetic syndrome, but it’s usually sporadic,” he adds. Cramps Add melanoma to the list of diseases that can cause gut-related symptoms. Your gut—like your eyes—contains melanocytes, and so it, too, can house a hidden melanoma. “Diarrhea, constipation, cramps, or pain are all possible,” says Davis. Consider this just one more reason why you shouldn’t ignore your tummy troubles. Headaches Like your eyes and gut, your brain contains melanocytes, and so it could be hiding a hidden melanoma. Headaches, seizures, or cognitive problems are all possible symptoms, Davis says. These same symptoms could crop up if you have a melanoma that started on your skin and has since spread to your brain.

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Cancer Story 4

Art Youmans, Cancer,” 3 October 2017

Always try to use your head for more than a hat rack. Whenever you hear either a lying professional politician or a lying con man announce that they will cure cancer if you build them a hospital, & donate money toward its funding, or vote for them, run for the hills

A Tulsa evangelist said that over 40 years ago, built a hospital, raised millions & never found a cure for anything. However, he did cure himself of boredom after he retired, driving his Rolls Royce around his neighbors, who lived in expensive estates in Orange County, California.

The word cancer includes a few hundred different diseases with different causes & treatment. The best treatments are now found in Germany where they use oxygen, colloidal silver, Laetrile, the Budwig Protocol & other alternative treatments to cure & find the root cause of the cancer. The worst cancer treatment, in my opinion, is in the USA, where doctors are allowed to use ONLY 3 treatments: 1. Radiation; 2.Chemotherapy, and; 3. Surgery. A U.S. doctor can lose his/her medical license suggesting a patient should take an alternative treatment like the ones found in Germany, where President Reagan went for cancer treatment, about 30 years ago.

A German doctor, Otto Warburg, won the Nobel Prize in 1931 when he proved that cancer can grow in a cell only “whenever any cell is denied 60% of its oxygen requirement.” Dr. Warburg proved that oxygen therapy kills cancer. In the USA, you can’t make money using oxygen therapy since it’s a natural product (e.g. oxygen) that can’t be patented. In Europe & Mexico, where cures are more important than profits. Oxygen therapy is widely used.
In the USA, about 99% of cancer research is focused on treatment & discovering profitable new Big Pharma drugs, not discovering the root cause of the disease or prevention techniques.

Read, below, what wisegeekhealth.com has to say about cancer:
“In all, there are around 200 different types of cancer that can affect the human body. A large percentage of people will be affected by some form of cancer or other in their lifetime. Some types are more serious than others, some cancers can be treated more easily than others, and the survival rate varies among types.

“There are two general categories of cancer. Carcinomas are cancers that develop on the surface linings of the organs. Sarcinomas are cancers that develop in the cells, and they affect solid tissues such as muscle and bone. They can also develop in the blood vessels.

“The human body is made up of tiny cells, each of which contains genes. Proteins inside these genes regulate the division and multiplication of the cells. If a gene becomes damaged, the cells can continually grow and divide without stopping. If too many of these damaged cells form together, they can grow into a tumor. (NOTE: A tumor takes 8 to 10 years of growth before it can be detected, visually, by medical equipment.)
“Tumors can either be malignant or benign. Malignant tumors are the serious cancers because they can multiply and spread throughout the body's tissues and organs. Not all types of cancer form tumors, however, and cancers of the blood, such as leukemia, attack other areas of the body through the bloodstream.”

Always remember that, like the common cold, cancer is a virus. Viruses are about 1,500 times smaller than bacteria. No one has ever even seen a virus. On electron microscopes, all researchers can see are the reflection of the virus on high-powered mirrors.

I don’t expect to see very many cancers cured in my lifetime, until we build much better artificial intelligence to develop a silver bullet to target only toxic cancer cells for each of about 200 types of cancer.

The best hope for cancer cures should come from Europe, where the best cancer research has been conducted for the past 35 years.

Never forget that cancer's favorite food for growth is sugar & artificial sugar. Whenever you see a person foolishly sipping a soda or eating junk food full of sugar, feel sad for them, because they are increasing the odds they will be obese & will die of cancer.

Big Pharma has prevented much new cancer research in the USA, by campaign donations to corrupt congressmen & women to pass laws preventing American doctors from thinking out of the box. (Threats are made by the American Medical Association to revoke doctors’ medical licenses if they pursue alternative cancer treatment for patients.)

Cancer is a $200 billion plus business for Big Pharma (e.g. the biggest drug companies, Pfizer, Merck, Bayer etc). A cancer cure would seriously affect their bottom line, so don’t expect drug firms that sell chemotherapy (AKA chemo) drugs to ever come up with a cure.

In 2013, Camelot Cancer Care center in Tulsa was raided by the Feds for offering alternative natural cancer treatment, like Laetrile, instead of 1. Radiation; 2. Chemotherapy, or; 3. Surgery. The woman running Camelot Cancer Care center had to flee to Mexico to avoid being jailed for trying to save or extend the lives of cancer patients with stage 2, 3 or 4 cancer, after their own doctors had given up on them.

Several terminal patients were partly (8 days) into their 21-day Laetrile treatment, & showing partial reversal of their terminal cancer, when the feds showed up & closed down Camelot Cancer Care center, effectively killing these terminal patients.

In my opinion, Germany is the best place to go for alternative cancer treatment. President Ronald Reagan, who had colon cancer, went there for his successful cancer remission in the mid-1980s. President Reagan had secret IV Laetrile treatments in the Oval Office & a drug like Carnivora at an alternative cancer clinic in Germany. These treatments left him cancer-free. He died 19 years later in 2004 from Alzheimer’s disease.

I hope that you’ll never have to consider going to a German cancer clinic, but one never knows what speed bumps & other obstacles that you’ll encounter in the future.
Watch your diet & keep your fingers crossed. That’s all you can be expected to do.

NOTE 1: Chemotherapy kills 35% of those cancer patients who take it, because their immune systems are weak. Chemo kills 100% of the cancer cells in your body as well as 100% of the cancer-fighting cells in your body. In my opinion, if you are over age 60 with a weak immune system, never submit your body to chemotherapy. Find an alternative natural cancer treatment center in Mexico or Germany, become a medical tourist & try your luck, there. Good luck!

NOTE 2: It is impossible to know if or when a crisis will strike your life. All you can do is to always expect the best but plan for the worst. Profit from the experience of others, especially the folks in the American territory of Puerto Rico where the electric power grid has been destroyed by Hurricanes Irma & Maria. People are running out of cash, ATMs don’t work & looters are roaming the island breaking into undefended homes & businesses. The most valuable items in Puerto Rico today are fresh water, bullets & guns & cash, according to a report I read from an owner of a software firm, who moved his family & company there from California, a few years ago, to take advantage of lowering his corporate tax rate from 38.9% to 4% & his state tax from 9% to zero. (Puerto Rico’s tax incentives include Act 20 which slashes corporate taxes down to 4% & Act 22 which cuts capital gains, dividend & interest taxes down to zero.)

In case of any future crisis in the USA, always have extra water stored, extra bullets for your guns & a few months of cash hidden in a safe or safe place in your home.

Who can predict the future actions of Mother Nature, North Korea, Iran, China, Russia, the ISIS madmen etc.?

Always be prepared for whatever madness the world will throw at you.
EXPECT THE BEST…BUT ALWAYS PLAN FOR THE WORST.

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Art Youmans Stories