The Steroid Caper
by
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It was a cool, crisp evening. The bright, autumn moon illuminated the majestic Estrella peaks to the south. A gentle, caressing breeze blew in from the jagged White Tanks to the west. It was a perfect Arizona night for football, but not for death! Max, age 17, the team trainer, sat quietly at the end of the long bench, fumbling through his first aid equipment: scissors, tape, bandages, liniment and splints. He had little interest in what had become a boring, lopsided game.
There were no injuries, and Litchfield was beating the tar out of Brophy. The score was 35--3, early in the second quarter. Max was more interested in the cheer leaders, dressed in their purple and green uniforms. He marveled at their athletic ability. While they were building a human pyramid, his eyes were keenly focused on the head cheer leader atop the pyramid. Emma Rossi. Gosh! She’s pretty: blonde, blue eyed, captivating smile and a heck of an athlete. Preoccupied with Emma’s every movement, Max was unaware that the roaring crowd had suddenly become strangely silent. "Max, Max, look!" Joey, the water boy screamed, tugging with both hands at Max’s shirt. "Bronco’s out. He’s flat on the ground and he’s not moving! I don’t know what happened. He just bulled over for a touchdown and collapsed like a ton of bricks. No one laid a hand on him." Fans in the end zone seats behind the opponent’s goal line stood frozen, like rows of mummies, while players and officials milled chaotically around Bronco. Max swiftly grabbed his trainer’s bag and raced toward Bronco. Several players hovered over Bronco, screening him from view. While Max muscled his way through the players he heard, "I tell you I never touched him, Buddy! He just fell down, that’s all" One look at the big fullback sickened Max. Bronco was motionless. Max knelt down and gently shook Bronco’s shoulders "Bronco--BRONCO! WAKE UP!" Bronco’s lips were turning blue, and froth exuded from the corners of his mouth. Max wrapped his blood pressure cuff around Bronco’s flaccid right arm, puffed up the cuff and listened intently, but could hear no sounds. He repeated the procedure twice, but there still were no sounds. Bronco was in shock! He checked for a carotid pulse, but felt nothing. He struck a firm blow to Bronco’s mid-chest, but there was no response. Immediately, he grabbed an airway from his black bag and slipped it over Bronco's protruding tongue, deeply into the recesses of his throat. He jiggled the airway, in hopes of eliciting a gag or cough reflex. Nothing happened. Bronco was not breathing.
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About the Book
Androgenic steroids, originally popularized by body builders, are now in vogue among both male and female students eager to improve their body image. Steroids are illegal, and cause severe psychiatric and medical side effects, including death. When the star high school fullback, Bronco, mysteriously drops dead on the football field, the energetic newspaper team (Emma, Max, Arnie) become deeply involved in search of the true cause of Bronco's death. A greedy coach, dishonest doctor, gangsters, gambling, a murder, an elusive drug czar, and a near tragedy for our heroine, Emma, keep the story moving at an exciting pace. The Steroid Caper in an entertaining way gives an in depth look at the tragic effects of steroid abuse in our most vulnerable population.
About the Author
Doctor Giangobbe, known as Doctor "G" by his friends graduated from the New York State College of Medicine, Syracuse New York. He is a retired Family Physician who currently resides in Litchfield Park, Arizona with his wife Patricia, where he spends his time writing children's novels, and lecturing to fifth graders about drugs and tobacco. Publications include, Dad Smoked His Life Away in Listen Magazine, Feb. 96, The Sad Gray Frog, in Boy's Quest, Feb.2002, The ToBacco Monster, Cherubic Press, Summer 2002.