LASIK Tragedies, Army Rangers, and Fighting Loneliness: A Friday Morning Carnival Ride

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Life truly is like a box of chocolates—or as I prefer to say, a carnival ride where you should buckle up for the unexpected. Today's journey takes us through some shocking medical revelations that might forever change how you think about "safe" procedures.

The heart of our discussion centers on the disturbing reality behind LASIK eye surgery, where what's marketed as 95-99% safe has reportedly led multiple people to take their own lives after suffering debilitating complications. We explore the heartbreaking cases of a young police officer and a TV meteorologist who couldn't endure the constant pain and vision problems following their procedures. With claims of at least 40 suicides connected to LASIK complications, serious questions emerge about FDA approval processes and whether profit motives outweigh patient safety.

From there, we take a strange detour into a case of Army Rangers suspended for firing blanks during a pirate festival (not nearly as dangerous as headlines suggest) and a bizarre incident involving a fashionable New York woman who stabbed a photographer for accidentally capturing her image. But we end on a hopeful note with New York City's inspiring "anti-loneliness club" for seniors—a beautiful initiative where older adults share remarkable life stories while building community and fighting the isolation that often accompanies aging.

What home remedies did your family swear by growing up? Share your thoughts and join us Sunday for our Brood Awakening podcast. I'd love to hear which traditions you still believe in today!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, my little love bunnies.
It's Friday, beginning of athree-day weekend, but I am at
work, of course.
So I have some stories here.
Look, some of them are tragic.
Some of them I'm going to startoff.
Look my podcast.
I'm going to steal a line fromForrest Gump's mama when she

(00:23):
told him life is like a box ofchocolates you never know what
you're going to get.
But I'm going to translate thatfor you for Carol's term Ride
at your own risk, because thiscarnival ride is unstable.
All right, here we go, we'regoing to go from.
I get my stories from the NewYork Post and a lot of them are
just horrible, tragic storiesthat you would not even believe.

(00:45):
Some of them I read I'm like no, I cannot even talk about that
at all because it's justterrible.
But we are going to start offwith a couple of not so good
stories, but we're going to endwith a good one.
All right, here we go.
Let's see, let me, let me goover to my Twitter, my x file.
Sorry, I was not prepared.
Usually I'm prepared.

(01:07):
Well, sometimes I'm prepared.
Okay, here we go.
I have a couple of stories.
This first one is so tragic.
Doctors, former patients, warnof lasik eye surgery dangers
biggest scam ever put on theAmerican public.
Wow, because I remember a fewyears back when this was like a

(01:29):
huge thing everybody was gettingit done.
I had thought about it I don'teven know if I needed it or not
and I thought there's no way I'mletting somebody operate on my
eyes.
No, I'm not having it and I'mglad I didn't.
All right, this is terrible.
I'm going to warn you up front.
This is horrible.
The suicide of a 26-year-oldPennsylvania police officer over

(01:51):
the after effects of thepopular eye surgery LASIK was
not an isolated incident, withothers saying it left them with
agonizing and life-changingsymptoms.
Patient and doctors told thePost.
Lasik providers say theprocedure is 95 to 99% safe, but

(02:13):
one LASIK survivor said she hadsuicidal ideations for two
years after her disastroussurgery in 2000.
She also claimed to know thatat least 40 people 40 people to
have taken their own lifebecause they couldn't take
constant pain and visionproblems developed after the

(02:34):
procedure.
This is horrible.
So the LASIK lobby and thesurgeons will tell you only 1%
of patients have issuesafterwards.
That's not true.
There are multiple studies thatindicate otherwise.
Let's see.
Since LASIK was approved by theFood and Drug Administration.
Look, I have a huge problemwith the FDA, especially after

(02:58):
watching Dope Sick Y'all.
Fda is corrupt as hell, justlike with any other government
agency up in there.
So, no, no, all right.
Anything that says FDA approved.
Nope, no, thank you.
Especially, you know, intoday's world, with them being

(03:18):
paid off by Big Pharma.
You know, in today's world,with them being paid off when by
big pharma, all right.
So, um, let's see.
This person last name is kofarruns the lasik complication
support group on facebook, oneof numerous organizations on
social media which have sprungup in response to lasik
procedures gone wrong.
Why, all of a sudden, are wehearing about this?

(03:38):
Lasik surgery has been aroundfor years.
Why, all of a sudden, are wehearing about it?
The procedure, lasik assistedin seto keratomeliosis, reshapes
the cornea of the eye.
It reshapes the cornea of theeye.
It already sounds terrible.
So Ryan Kingersky he was 26years old.
He was just 26 the cop who diedby suicide after taking time

(04:04):
off from penn hills policedepartment in allegheny, county
pennsylvania, last august.
All right, so his grievingparents, the king ryan, began
suffering headaches, doublevision, seeing dark spots and
floaters, tiny spots that appearas streaks or cobwebs, like
shapes, across the person'sfield of vision.
And then there's this otherwoman.
Y'all this other one is what Iwanted to get to the 35-year-old

(04:27):
mother.
Let's see Ryan's.
Okay, here we go.
Ryan's parents told a storysimilar to that of Detroit TV
meteorologist Jessica Starr'swidower, dan Rose, who said she
took her own life afterstruggling with intense eye pain
and vision problems followinglaser eye surgery.

(04:48):
The 35-year-old mother hangedherself on December 12, 2018,
just two months after undergoingLASIK to correct her vision.
Y'all this is.
I mean.
Prior to the procedure, jessicawas completely normal, very
healthy.
Rose told WJBK in 2019, therewas no depression, no underlying

(05:11):
issue.
Rose said his wife left behinda 30 page suicide note and
videos which made it clear thedecision to end her life was
because of the elective surgery.
What did she keep all of thisto herself?
Did she not talk to anybodyabout it?
Her husband is acting likethere was no sign or anything of

(05:35):
her wanting to do this, this.
Okay, that's all I'm going toread of that story.
Oh my gosh, what do you think?
This is terrible?
Next, I'm not going to readthis whole story either.
I'm just going to tell youabout it.
18 army Rangers suspended forallegedly firing blanks at
crowded Florida beach after mocksea battle during pirate
festival.
Is this real?
So what happened was they hadthis festival.

(05:58):
There was a pirate ship.
They had these army Rangers outthere on the water.
They had blanks.
They were approved to do thisshooting up in the air, but then
, I guess, they decided to shootoff some extra rounds and
that's what people are mad about.
It was already pre-approved.
It's staged.

(06:18):
They knew this was going tohappen.
People are so sensitive nowadaysthey're blaming it.
You know.
They're saying you know allthese mass shootings that are
happening now, this shouldn't,this shouldn't be taking place.
Blah, blah, blah.
And these rangers are suspended, I believe.
Yes, it does say they'resuspended, but the headline is
misleading.
They said they after they shotat the crowded florida beach,

(06:40):
they didn't shoot at the crowdof the.
In the story it says they shoot,they shot up in the air and
then they, I guess they shot,maybe at the pirate ship, which
was all part of the.
It was all part of the stagedmock thing for entertainment
purposes.
I can't with these people.
All right, this next storyScissor.

(07:01):
What is wrong with this woman?
Scissor-wielding, well-dressedNew York City woman stabs man
after he accidentally takesphoto of her Again from the New
York Post.
What in the world she isdefinitely not ready for.
Her close-up is how the articlebegins Ha ha, the stylish woman
in heels and a leather jacketused scissors to stab an amateur

(07:25):
photographer who accidentallycaptured an image of her as he
took photos in the west village.
The sunglasses and dress,wearing brunette, flew into a
britney spears level.
Paparazzi rage.
Rage on varick street near westhouston street.
Around 4 20 pm the 36 year oldvictim was out shooting images

(07:45):
for social media.
Pm the 36-year-old victim wasout shooting images for social
media.
First she slugged him in theshoulder before flashing a pair
of scissors and stabbing him inthe back.
The woman then stormed off,heading south on Varick Street
and entering the Houston Streetsubway.
The victim refused medicalattention for minor injuries on
the scene.
The New York PD on Wednesdaynight released surveillance

(08:06):
footage so they havesurveillance of her anyway and
she is quite attractive and verywell dressed.
What in the world was going onthere?
She must be a mob wife anddidn't want her picture taken or
something.
I don't know.
I don't know.
All right, so we're going toend with a good story here, all
right?
Are you ready?
Here we go, and I am so behindthis.
I want to do, do this, I wantto be, I want to participate in
this Inside.

(08:28):
Of course, I can't do it.
It's in New York City, insideNew York City's anti-loneliness
club, where seniors share theirlife stories, including getting
told off by Princess Margaretand flirting with Colin Powell.
What do a fashion feud withPrincess Margaret and rumors of
a young love with Colin Powellhave in common?

(08:49):
They both become legendarytales at the Life Story Club
gatherings excuse me for olderadults across the city, giving
them a space to share theirexperiences, build community and

(09:10):
combat the loneliness thatsometimes comes with aging,
which can put them at higherrisk for health issues like
depression, heart disease anddementia.
The social club becomes theirfriends, their family, their
lifeline.
Stephanie Yanes, a facilitatorat both English and Spanish
language groups.
Early this month, about 30members and facilitators of the

(09:31):
Life Story Club gathered forokay, so these people are
gathering together to tell theirtales so they won't be lonely
anymore.
I love and look.
I wish that I had listened tomy grandparents more.
I wish I had gotten morestories from them, or even
written them down, or somethingLike.
I know nothing about my grandpaon my mother's side.
I know he came from St Louis.

(09:52):
I have one story of him tellingme that you know he played
minor league ball at one time oranother.
He said he met Babe Ruth andBabe Ruth told him look, kid,
you don't want to be in this,you don't want to be a
professional ball player.
This life, this life is hell.
It's blah, blah, blah, blah.
I don't know if that was trueor not, I don't know if he was
just pulling my leg, but itwould be cool if it was true.
So anyway, there's that.

(10:14):
I love this idea.
I think it's wonderful.
All right, so we need to moveon to the question of the day,
and I do have one.
Oh my gosh, I'm 10 minutes over.
Oh well, that's the way it is.
So yesterday, on Pat Gray,hillary's talking about this
methylene blue, or whatever it'scalled, that people take for
health reasons, and I waswondering what Mr Shams was

(10:34):
going to say about it, and hedid say something about it on
exit.
I'm so glad he came out andsaid this Uh, there's no way I
would take something like that.
I'd be too scared if it's.
You know, look I, I, I say badthings about the FDA, but I also
not sure about this, these homeremedies either.
But she put this blue dye inthis water and it turned like

(10:56):
really blue and I'm like howdoes that not turn your teeth
blue?
Anyway, where was I going withthis?
Oh, I think I have.
My question was do you have anyhome remedies that you grew up
with that you swear by, that youwould recommend to people to do
?
You know, with that onion onyour pillowcase, I don't even
know what that means.
So do you have anything likethat?

(11:18):
I don't.
I don't think.
I don't have to think about it,but you know, the apple a day
keeps the doctor away.
All this stuff.
Do you have anything like thatthat you could, that you really
believe in, that you think helpsyou with whatever that you
could tell people about?
All right, that's it.
I got to go.
Thanks for listening.
Have a great weekend.
The Gent and I will be back onSunday for our Brood Awakening

(11:41):
podcast on Sunday.
All right, love y'all.
Thanks for listening, bye.