Monroe County Sheriff Todd Martin gets help in his long battle with cancer
Monroe County Sheriff and Stroudsburg Fire Chief
Todd Martin.Pocono Record file photo
By Christina Tatu
Pocono Record Writer
January 26, 2012
When Monroe County Sheriff Todd Martin was first diagnosed with cancer in 2005, he and his family used the difficult experience to help others. His oldest daughter Karli, now 23, sold red wristbands, donating the $10,000 in proceeds to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The family also started the Sheriff Todd A. Martin Cancer Foundation, which raises money for other families struggling with the disease.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Sheriff Todd Martin Benefit Basketball Tournament/Tricky Tray
WHEN: 5 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Pocono Mountain East Junior High School.
HOW MUCH: Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students with ID.
WHAT ELSE: A baked ziti dinner will be served. Soft pretzels, candy, pizza, nachos and drinks will also be available.
CONTACTS: To make a donation to the Martin family contact pecpto@gmail.com or Sue Sebring at 570-977-4403.
HELP OTHERS: To make a donation to the Sheriff Todd A. Martin Cancer Foundation to benefit other families affected by cancer, make a check payable to Sheriff Todd A. Martin and mail it to Lois Lyon at 122 Ace Lane, Stroudsburg, PA, 18360
Now the community wants to give back to the Martins.
On Friday, a benefit will be held for Todd Martin, who is once again battling multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, and plasma cytoma, a cancer of the plasma cells.
It's been a struggle for Martin since the summer, when he learned new tumors had developed in his neck and collarbone, said his wife Terri Martin, a physical education teacher at Pocono Mountain Elementary Center.
Martin went through six weeks of daily radiation treatment and was preparing for six months of weekly chemotherapy treatment.
The powerful drugs caused adverse side effects such as gout and blood clots, which have landed Martin in the hospital four times during the last three months, Terri Martin said.
Martin was checked back into the hospital Monday after doctors discovered a blood clot in his lung. Surgery was performed to insert a special filter into his lung to stop the clot from traveling to his brain, and he is now recovering, she said, "It's like he has a smoldering cancer. It never really goes into remission because it's always in the blood or bone marrow, but it can get to the point where his numbers are really good. For seven years, he was in an area where his numbers were considered good," she explained.
The chemotherapy treatment causes blood clots, so doctors put Martin on an expensive blood thinner he administers with twice-daily injections. The cost is $10,000 a month, about 80 percent of which is covered by insurance, leaving the Martins to pay the remaining $2,000-a-month bill.
Terri Martin was explaining the costs to a member of the Pocono Elementary Center Parent Teacher Organization one day.
"She said, 'That's it, we are going to do something for you,'" Terri Martin said.
"I'm just speechless. I've already thanked everyone a million times, every time I see them."
The Martins' three children are handling things as best they can.
Their youngest daughter, Kelli, now 15 and a sophomore at Stroudsburg High School, plans to follow in her older sister Karli's footsteps.
Kelli has been selling red wristbands in her father's honor and plans to donate the proceeds to the Sheriff Todd A.Martin Cancer Foundation so the money can help another family in need. Their son, Jared, now 19, is a sophomore at Kutztown University. Martin's chemotherapy treatments have temporarily been stopped while he recovers from his surgery.
"Overall, he's been very positive, but yet, every time he hits one of these little hurdles, he has to force himself to try and stay positive because it's been such an ongoing fight," Terri Martin said.
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Police Unity Tour
Dear Sir or Madam;
I am Sergeant Matthew James Mendenhall of the Berks County Sheriff's Department warrants division. On May 9th, 2012, I will represent fallen Deputy Kyle D. Pagerly of the Berks County Sheriff's Department by riding my bicycle with the Police Unity Tour. We will ride our bicycles along varying routes, each over 300 miles to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial ( NLEOM ) in Washington DC. For this years ride, the Police Unity Tour Chapter II will have 200 law enforcement officers representing various agencies from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Missouri, Maine and New Hampshire. Our route will take us from southern New Jersey into Delaware and Maryland and ultimately onto Washington Dc where on May 13th a candlelight vigil will be held at the Memorial. On that night, the names of the law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty in 2011 will be read before a crowd of thousands.
The primary purpose of the Police Unity Tour is to raise awareness about the law enforcement officers that have died in the line of duty. Our motto is "We Ride For Those Who Died". The secondary purpose is to raise funds for the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum. Since its inception in 1997, the Police Unity Tour has raised over 7 million dollars to support the NLEOM with 1.3 million dollars raised during last year's tour.
To reach our goal, each law enforcement officer riding in the tour must raise a minimum of $1,700.00. The tour provides support services such as overnight lodging and food as we ride.
It is because of the incredible support of my family, friends, fellow deputy's and the community that I am able to participate in the tour this year and not let the heroes who died in the line of duty be forgotten. I am asking for your financial support so that I may ride in the Police Unity Tour. Your sponsorship donation can be made by logging onto the first giving donation page at www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/matthewmendenhall
Thank you so very much for your consideration in supporting me to participate in the Police Unity Tour.
Sincerely,
Sergeant Matthew J. Mendenhall-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eight Ballz & Cosmic Blast: New Synthetic 'Cocaine' on the Market
Bath salts are illegal (not that they can’t find them) but there is a new product out there called Jewelry Cleaner (synthetic cocaine). It can be purchased at any head shop or convenience store. I know for a fact that Sunoco on Trindle Rd in Mechanicsburg has it. It comes as a powder in a vile. I have an offender who used it and claims that it is far worse than bath salts. She paid $40.00 for one pack.
I did a routine curfew check on her on Monday night and as I entered the house she was screaming, crying and hyperventilating as well as sweating profusely and claiming demons where coming. She later came clean with me and told me that she used jewelry cleaner. I did some on line research on the product and two of the main effects are hallucinations and sweating. In fact this product can make your body temperature rise to 107 degrees within hours of use and of course fry your brains. Another offender’s mother called me and told me her daughter woke her up in the middle of the night with a meat cleaver in one hand and a steak knife in the other claiming there where people outside trying to kill her. The mom found a package labeled “Eight Ballz glass cleaner” which is the jewelry cleaner. The two I know of are called Eight Ballz and Cosmic Blast but I am sure there are others. It is some nasty stuff and takes many days to come down from the high after just one use.
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Penn State Live - Officers honored for swift, life-saving response to medical emergency dsap
Officers honored for swift, life-saving response to medical emergency
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Credit: Jonathan McVerry
From left, Nittany Lion Inn employee Crisoforo Sandoval, Penn State Police Office Michelle Beckenbaugh, Deputy Sheriff Richard Smith of the Centre County Sheriff's Department and Penn State Police Chief Tyrone Parham. Beckenbaugh and Smith helped to save Sandoval's life on Nov. 8. For more photos, click on the image above.
A group of University employees attending CPR training took a break from class on Dec. 14 to witness firsthand the importance of certification. In a ceremony held on the University Park campus, Penn State Police Officer Michelle Beckenbaugh and Deputy Sheriff Richard Smith of the Centre County Sheriff's Department were honored for their quick, life-saving response in a medical emergency.
On Nov. 8, Crisoforo Sandoval, an employee with Penn State Hospitality Services, went into cardiac arrest while transporting two guests from the University Park Airport to the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. The passengers were able to stop the car and called 911.
Beckenbaugh was first on the scene. She noticed Sandoval was not responding, called for backup and immediately put her first aid skills into action. Smith arrived soon after and the two officers administered CPR using chest compressions and an automated external defibrillator. The quick response and proper care kept Sandoval, who at one point had no pulse, alive.
"The training is always in the back of your mind and ready to be used," Beckenbaugh said. "It works. And to be able to see Chris stand here today, it's definitely worth it."
During the ceremony, Beckenbaugh and Smith each were awarded a certificate and a University Police department coin honoring their quick action. About 40 people were in attendance, including Sandoval's family, friends and colleagues, and University Police officers.
University Police Chief Tyrone Parham said Beckenbaugh and Smith's decisive actions and their cool, calm and collected demeanor in those first few moments were critical to Sandoval's survival.
"We've all done the training, some of us for 20 years," he said, "and it's circumstances such as this that remind us how important it is."
After the incident, Sandoval was placed into a medically induced coma and flown to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa., where he was treated and recovered. Sandoval said he will be forever grateful to the officers who helped to save his life. He said he plans to earn CPR certification himself in the near future, and suggested that everyone who has the opportunity to earn certification should do so.
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Officers honored for swift, life-saving response to medical emergency
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Credit: Jonathan McVerry
A group of University employees attending CPR training took a break from class on Dec. 14 to witness firsthand the importance of certification. In a ceremony held on the University Park campus, Penn State Police Officer Michelle Beckenbaugh and Deputy Sheriff Richard Smith of the Centre County Sheriff's Department were honored for their quick, life-saving response in a medical emergency.
On Nov. 8, Crisoforo Sandoval, an employee with Penn State Hospitality Services, went into cardiac arrest while transporting two guests from the University Park Airport to the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. The passengers were able to stop the car and called 911.
Beckenbaugh was first on the scene. She noticed Sandoval was not responding, called for backup and immediately put her first aid skills into action. Smith arrived soon after and the two officers administered CPR using chest compressions and an automated external defibrillator. The quick response and proper care kept Sandoval, who at one point had no pulse, alive.
"The training is always in the back of your mind and ready to be used," Beckenbaugh said. "It works. And to be able to see Chris stand here today, it's definitely worth it."
During the ceremony, Beckenbaugh and Smith each were awarded a certificate and a University Police department coin honoring their quick action. About 40 people were in attendance, including Sandoval's family, friends and colleagues, and University Police officers.
University Police Chief Tyrone Parham said Beckenbaugh and Smith's decisive actions and their cool, calm and collected demeanor in those first few moments were critical to Sandoval's survival.
"We've all done the training, some of us for 20 years," he said, "and it's circumstances such as this that remind us how important it is."
After the incident, Sandoval was placed into a medically induced coma and flown to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa., where he was treated and recovered. Sandoval said he will be forever grateful to the officers who helped to save his life. He said he plans to earn CPR certification himself in the near future, and suggested that everyone who has the opportunity to earn certification should do so.
