Reader's Digest_Feb 2022

FEBRUARY 2022 | THE WORLD’S BEST LOVED MAGAZINE | readersdigest.com.au AUSTRALIA
OATUSRARPSOLDTDKOCRASISETSS

YEARS 24 STEPS
To Delete
OUR CENTENARY Your Online
ANNIVERSARY Footprint
‘The Little Magazine’
PAGE 26
Celebrates
FEBRUARY 2022 $6.50
PAGE 110

Silent Signs You’re
Eating Too Much Protein

PAGE 102

DRAMA
Inside The Thai

Cave Rescue

PAGE 126

Rubik And His
Amazing Cube

PAGE 66

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CONTENTS

FEBRUARY 2022

COV ER ILLUSTRATION: BRIAN STAUFFER; PHOTOS THIS PAGE: (FISH) PI C T U R E-A L L I A N C E/D PA ; (C U B E) R U B I K’ S B R A N D 82 66

Features 66

26 44 entertainment

technology earth’s heroes Meet Ernő Rubik

Delete Your Shark Encounters The inventor of the
Internet Footprint Rubik’s Cube shares
A teacher’s how he devised the
Control your digital transformative idea twisty puzzle that
data with just a few to protect sharks. became a global
clicks. CHRIS HOFFMAN sensation. LEXANDRA
LAM LYE CHING
36 ALTER FROM NEW YORK TIMES
52
inspiration 74
food on your plate
The Biker With culture
A Big Heart I Am A Coconut
Music From
Their son’s organ Once cracked open, The Vaults
donation saved this fruit is a tasty
another young man’s tropical delight. Kilometres of shelving
life. So the recipient house probably the
cycled 2300 kilometres KATE LOWENSTEIN AND world’s biggest archive
to thank them. DANIEL GRITZER of vinyl and sound
recordings, ranging
A.C. SHILTON FROM 56 from battered old
BICYCLING MAGAZINE tapes to pop 78s.
humour
ON THE COVER: SIMON BURTON
A CENTURY OF READER’S Talking With Dad
DIGEST – PAGE 110 82
From engine oil to
insurance, fathers are photo feature
eager to share advice.
Just A Kiss
RICHARD GLOVER
We take a look at some
famous and not so
famous smooches
throughout history.

CORNELIA KUMFERT

readersdigest.com.au 1

CONTENTS 24

FEBRUARY 2022

88 110 the digest PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
18 Pets
then and now 100 years 20 Health
24 News From The
Hair Removal Highlights From
A Century Of World of Medicine
Whether in the name Reader’s Digest 139 RD Recommends
of beauty or hygiene,
men and women have Memorable events in regulars
been shaving, waxing, one of the world’s best- 4 Editor’s Note
plucking, tweezing loved publications. 6 Letters
and threading since
time immemorial. THE EDITORS 10 News Worth
Sharing
ZOË MEUNIER 118
12 My Story
94 travel 16 Smart Animals
60 Look Twice
humour A Fairytale 72 Quotable Quotes
Train Journey 100 Tell Me Why
What’s The Point
Of Table Manners? The Danube Express humour
wends its way from 50 Life’s Like That
Who was responsible Istanbul to Budapest. 64 Laughter,
for rules about table
manners? We go right MAGGIE SHIPSTEAD The Best Medicine
back to cavemen days FROM TRAVEL + LEISURE 108 All In A Day’s Work
to find out.
126 the genius section
FELICITY LEWIS FROM 144 Are You A
THE BOOK EXPLAIN THAT bonus read
Tinglehead?
102 The Boys In The Cave 148 Puzzles
152 Trivia
health The rescue of 12 boys 154 Puzzles Answers
and their coach 155 Word Power
6 Silent Signs trapped in a flooded
You’re Eating Too underground cave
Much Protein seemed almost
impossible.
While protein is
essential, it can be a MATT GUTMAN FROM THE
balancing act between BOOK THE BOYS IN THE CAVE
too little and too
much. LINDSAY TIGAR FOLLOW US
@ReadersDigestAustralia
2 february 2022

hHtgeeoruaael’tsthy

^For best results, consume at least 2.4g of GOS each day (found in just one 250ml glass of Dairy Farmers GutActive), as part of a healthy diet.

READER’S DIGEST

EDITOR’S NOTE

Milestones And Insights

THE EASE WITH WHICH ONLINE SCAMMERS
can manipulate your private digital identity is
terrifying. ‘Delete Your Internet Footprint’ (page
26) details 24 simple steps we can all take to keep
our identities and finances safe. With as many as
one in four people falling victim to identity fraud,
this article is definitely worth a read.

This issue has insights into well-known people
and events, such as the man whose invention
we all recognise (‘Meet Ernő Rubik’, page 66). The publicity-shy architect
shares how his love of geometrical shapes led him to invent the 3D
puzzle that the world knows as Rubik’s Cube. While our Bonus Read tells
the story of the 2019 Thai rescue, ‘The Boys In The Cave’ (page 126). The
complexity and risk involved in the rescue to save the 12 young Wild Boar
soccer players and their coach is as shocking as it is heroic.

This month marks a very important milestone for Reader’s Digest globally.
It was one hundred years ago this month, on February 5, 1922, that the first
edition of Reader’s Digest magazine was published. To mark the occasion,
we have prepared a timeline which we hope you will enjoy (page 110).
Over the next 12 months, we’ll also be featuring special 100th Anniversary
articles, each one giving a modern perspective on the core values that have
made the little magazine so unique.

The publication owes its success to you, our readers. From everyone
here at Reader’s Digest, we thank you for your endless loyalty, support
and enthusiasm over the past ten decades.
Happy reading,

LOUISE WATERSON Editor-in-Chief

4 february 2022

AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA
OATUSRARPSOLDTDKOCRASISETSS
Vol. 202
No. 1202
February 2022

EDITORIAL YEARS 24 STEPS
Editor-in-Chief Louise Waterson To Delete
Managing Editor Zoë Meunier OUR CENTENARY Your Online
Chief Subeditor Melanie Egan ANNIVERSARY Footprint
Art Director Hugh Hanson ‘The Little Magazine’
Senior Art Designer Adele Burley PAGE 26
Art Designer Annie Li Celebrates
Senior Editor Diane Godley NOW
Associate Editor Victoria Polzot PAGE 110 INCLUDES

DIGITAL Silent Signs You’re FREE
Head of Digital Content Greg Barton Eating Too Much Protein DIGITAL

ADVERTISING PAGE 102 APP
Group Advertising ACCESS
& Retail Sales Director Sheron White DRAMA
Sales Manager Darlene Delaney Inside The Thai
Advertising Support Manager Rebecca Zhang
Cave Rescue
•All ADVERTISING
PAGE 126
and RETAIL INQUIRIES ONLY
Sheron White Rubik And His
Mobile Phone 0421 897 140 Amazing Cube
Email [email protected]
PAGE 66
PUBLISHED UNDER LICENCE
BY DIRECT PUBLISHING PTY LTD SAVE 50%

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READER’S DIGEST

LETTERS

Reader’s Comments And Opinions

Jokes That Stand
The Test of Time

Some of the jokes, sayings, anecdotes
and fillers in the January Classics
issue made me laugh so hard I
couldn’t catch my breath. I usually
recycle the issue or give it to
someone else, but this one I am
definitely going to keep. I plan to
read a few of these jokes every so
often to put a smile on my face –
and maybe even pass them on.
These days humour is a valuable
commodity and should be shared.

AMANDA JACKSON

Enduring Gifts themselves singing for their
parents. Could there be a more
Nowadays, when making a touching Christmas gift? Patricia
recording is as easy as pressing Scott’s (My Story, December)
a button on a smartphone, how vivid reminiscence shows it’s still
utterly inspiring to read that in cherished 66 years later. What a
1955 three little children – not beautiful reminder that while gifts
even teenagers yet! – saved a can be conveniently store bought,
princely sum of money to secretly a creative act like this is forever.
make a gramophone record of

Let us know if you are moved – or provoked – by any item in the magazine,
share your thoughts. See page 8 for how to join the discussion.

6 february 2022

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES I’ll remember this story the next Letters
time a birthday, anniversary or
Christmas comes around. PACKAGE IT UP

LYLE CHAN We asked you to think up a clever
caption to this photo.
Bridge As A Brain Booster
Struggling outside the box.
‘Brain Games That Really Work’
(November) resonated with me. LES HEWITT
Years ago, after returning from an
overseas trip, I began forgetting I am not a shopaholic,
things. My husband took me to I am helping the economy.
the emergency room, and four
days later I woke up from a coma KAWTAR TANI
with a diagnosis that required
me to exercise my brain. I tried I’m going to start living in
to read but couldn’t understand the present.
what I was reading. So my bridge
partners had me count points in MELISSA BUTTON
aces, kings, queens and jacks. And
it worked! I just became a Gold This is the last time I’ll use
Life Master in bridge. click and collect!

CAROL SZAZYNSK JUDITH CAINE

WIN A PILOT CAPLESS Congratulations to this month’s
FOUNTAIN PEN winner, Judith Caine.

The best letter each month WIN!
will win a Pilot Capless
Fountain Pen, valued at over CAPTION CONTEST
$200. The Capless is the
perfect combination of luxury Come up with the funniest caption
and ingenious technology, for the above photo and you could win
featuring a one-of-a-kind
retractable fountain pen nib, $100. To enter, email
durable metal body, beautiful [email protected]
rhodium accents and a 14K
gold nib. Congratulations to this or see details on page 8.
month’s winner, Sagar Sreenath.

readersdigest.com.au 7

READER’S DIGEST

Origins Of Chess

Thanks for putting together a READER’S DIGEST SHOP

compilation of some interesting and For quality products, book sales and
more, call 1300 300 030 or head to
insightful articles in your November Readersdigest.com.au/shop

edition. However, after reading CONTRIBUTE

the quiz article ‘Checkmate’, I was R E A D ER S D I G E S TAU S T R A L I A

left wondering why there was no Anecdotes and Jokes $50–$100

mention of India, the place where Send in your real-life laugh for Life’s Like That
or All in a Day’s Work. Got a joke? Send it in for
this board game originated and its Laughter Is the Best Medicine!

original name chaturanga (meaning Smart Animals Up to $100

four sides). SAGAR SREENATH Share antics of unique pets or wildlife
in up to 300 words.
Editor’s Note: Thank you for
raising this interesting point. My Story $400
Dating back to the sixth century,
chaturanga was played on an 8x8 Got an inspiring or life-changing tale?
grid and featured pieces similar to Submissions must be true, original,
modern chess although the exact unpublished and 800–1000 words.
rules are unknown. It is believed
the rules for moving queens (then Letters to the Editor
called counsellors) and bishops and Reader Submissions
(then called elephants) were more
limited. Online Follow the ‘Contribute’ link at
readersdigest.com.au
Minor Miracles Email [email protected]
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‘No Ordinary Day’ (Everyday PO Box 6458, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086
Miracles, December) was a timely Please include your name, address,
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things occur that are so incredible print and electronic media.
they can’t be considered anything Submissions: All submissions become our
short of a miracle. The quick and property on payment and subsequent
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ordinary people featured in the fact-check submissions. For terms and
two stories – a school teacher and conditions, go to www.readersdigest.com.au/
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workers who helped change the We cannot return or acknowledge material
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READER’S DIGEST

NEWS WORTH SHARING

Hero Dog Honoured For Rescuing Koalas

B ear, a six-year-old Australian smell and boundless energy made him PHOTO: COURTESY IFAW
Koolie herding dog, has been ideal for research projects. He was
honoured by the International trained to recognise the scent of koala
Fund for Animals Welfare (IFAW) for fur in the bush.
his heroic efforts during the 2020
bushfires when he saved over 100 The IFAW, which sponsors Bear,
injured koalas. said he had been “a ray of hope” as he
helped the USC/IFAW team and their
The former rescue dog was taught partners to rescue injured koalas.
to use his heightened sense of smell
to find injured koalas in the burnt-out After receiving his award, via video
trees and terrain by the Detection link to the ceremony in London’s
Dogs for Conservation team at the House of Lords, Cristescu said Bear
University of the Sunshine Coast. got “extra pats and extra play”. Bear
Ecologist Dr Romane Cristescu, who will continue to contribute to wildlife
leads the team, said Bear’s sense of rescues and research projects with
the team’s other canine members.

COMPILED BY VICTORIA POLZOT

10 february 2022

PHOTOS: (FERREIRA) YOUTUBE; (BICYCLE) WYLD BIKE Plastic Pollution Solution A New Spin On Cycling

Growing up kayaking around While cycling provides
the coast of Ireland, 20-year- personal health benefits,
old Fionn Ferreira was Wyld Bikes also offers a
shocked by how much plastic positive impact on humanity
waste littered the shores. and the planet.

The most dangerous form of Each Wyld (What You Love
plastic waste, Ferreira found out, is Doing) bike is hand-made in
one you can’t see. Microplastics are Ghana, in partnership with the
tiny fragments that end up inside Ghana Bamboo Bike Initiative
not only marine life, but humans. (GBBI), from sustainably
We ingest about five grams every sourced bamboo – ensuring
week through food and water, and they tread lightly on the planet.
even more microscopic particles The GBBI also empowers the
from carpets and synthetic textiles. local community by generating
employment for disadvantaged
Noticing that oil-spill residue women. Each bike empowers a
on the beach attracted plastic woman to take herself out of
particles, he designed a device the cycle of poverty into which
that used ferrofluid, a magnetic she was born. 
liquid, to remove microplastics
from drinking water. In 2019, his For every bamboo plant that is
prototype – which removed 87 per harvested, ten more are planted
cent of microplastics from a water – not to make bikes with but
sample – won him the grand prize rather to stabilise the soil and
at the Google Science Fair. stop erosion of arable land used
for growing crops.
Now a chemistry student, he is
fine-tuning his invention to use in The GBBI donates some of the
homes and water treatment plants. bikes back to the kids in Ghana,
providing them with the means
to travel to school, while bike
parts are shipped to Australia and
assembled by young unemployed
under a mentoring programme.

readersdigest.com.au 11

READER’S DIGEST

MY STORY

A Whole
Lotl Love

A story of two axolotls

BY Lisa Ikin

AXOLOTLS, otherwise Jet and Rusty, from a teaching ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES
known as Mexican colleague. Following their passing,
walking fish, are very I observed an appropriate period of
peculiar creatures mourning and the following year
indeed. Ambystoma purchased an albino axolotl.
Mexicanum are neotenic; they retain
juvenile traits right through their ‘Muesli Aristotle’ arrived at
adult lives and never leave the water Quintilian Primary School in
like their amphibious cousins. They January 2012. She was named by a
are naturally occurring but rarely group of nine year olds who couldn’t
seen in Lake Xochimilco and Lake settle on just one name. One
Chalco in the southern Mexico City school holiday, when Muesli was at
neighbourhood of Xochimilco. The home with me for the long break, I
most common place you will see an discovered an axolotl looking for a
axolotl is in a home fish tank. new home on Facebook. In return
for a carton of Hahn Premium beer,
I have owned and (accidentally) I had a friend for Muesli. I named it
bred axolotls for over eight years. quite fittingly ‘Hahn’ and plopped it
My interest in these four-legged in the tank with Muesli.
amphibians began in 2011 when
I inherited two ageing axolotls, I watched with interest as they
circled one another, and I made the
12 february 2022

My Story

appropriate “oohs” and “aahs” as to leave them to their own devices to
they brushed against one another see what would happen.
in the tank. “Friends!” I thought.
Blissfully unaware of what was to The next morning, Hahn was
happen next. sitting gazing disinterestedly at the
plastic plant while Muesli appeared
The following morning, I noticed agitated and had started laying
sacs of white jelly deposited on thousands of frog-like eggs! As I
the bottom of the tank and noted madly googled what to do with baby
that Hahn had been responsible axolotls it quickly became apparent
for these slimy gifts. I also saw that that this was not going to be a walk in
Muesli had turned bright pink and the park. Not only did Google suggest
was gliding around settling on each that I would have to remove the
sac before moving onto the next. slippery eggs, but I had to hand raise
them! Axolotls, it turns out, are not
Curiosity took over and I decided very parental and will eat their eggs
and young. No wonder they are all
Lisa Ikin is a freelance writer and primary but extinct in the wild.
school teacher from Perth. She teaches
science and volunteers for wildlife I removed Hahn from the tank
organisations in her spare time. Axolotls and placed him in quarantine. He
are still very much a part of her life. had more than made his presence
felt. Pondering what to do with
the imminent axolotl babies, my
calculating entrepreneurial mind
sold each one for $50 and then spent
the resulting fortune on a tropical
holiday.

More googling revealed that
newly hatched axolotls needed to be
fed live food. All websites pointed
towards the farming of brine shrimp
(sea monkeys to the uninitiated).
Brine shrimp were a whole other
kettle of fish – literally. “They need
salt water, and the saltwater needs
to be aerated,” said the kind man in
the aquarium shop as he handed me
a vial of brine shrimp eggs. He also
gave me a list of instructions on how
to get the water just the right type

readersdigest.com.au 13

READER’S DIGEST

of salty. I gave him a sideways look axolotl. Back to the aquarium shop,

and said, “Can’t I just go and fill up a where I had already spent a small

bottle at the beach?” fortune, to purchase a third tank and

“That would work,” he nodded. more aerating filters.

Armed with seawater, an aerator My kitchen bench was beginning

and some brine shrimp eggs, I set to look like something from a sci-fi

up a bubbling contraption on my movie, alien life forms sitting in ice-

kitchen bench and waited. Fourteen cube trays and takeaway containers.

days after the first batch of axolotl My family was getting used to

eggs were spawned, I started to see making their breakfast in a small

tiny tadpole-like creatures emerge corner of the bench.

from their gel sacs MY KITCHEN When the juveniles
and dart about the reached the age

tank. The brine BENCH LOOKED where I could
shrimp did the right LIKE SOMETHING advertise them for
thing and turned into sale in the local pets
dancing, microscopic FROM A page, it seemed that

shrimp. As the baby SCI-FI MOVIE every axolotl breeder
axolotls grew, I had was doing the same.

to change their water A price war ensued.

twice daily and feed them at the One for $30, two for $40. Buy one

same time. This was achieved with a axolotl, get one free!

kitchen sieve and a lot of splashing. I sold some, probably enough to

Along with trips to the beach to break even. The likes of the people

harvest sea water, all was progressing who answered my ads are a whole

swimmingly. That was until the other story; it turns out axolotl

babies reached the size of goldfish owners are slightly quirky. Who

and started to eat each other’s limbs. would have guessed?

They are not known for their good Hahn was rehoused, and Muesli

eyesight and snap at anything that now has one of her daughters as a

moves. Luckily, they regenerate their companion. The skills I learnt from

limbs and body parts. As I said, very this experience are countless but the

peculiar creatures, indeed. lesson is: don’t count your axolotls

I knew that if my tropical holiday before they hatch.

was to become a reality, each

juvenile would have to be housed in Do you have a tale to tell? We’ll pay
a separate enclosure if they were to cash for any original and unpublished
maintain all their limbs. No one was story we print. See page 8 for details

going to want to pay $50 for a legless on how to contribute.

14 february 2022

NItS’WsFtEiSmSTeEINtVoAIrOeLcRonSn’ect 2U5NMTIAL R3CAHPRIL

The NSW Seniors’ Festival is back! And this year it will run from

Friday 25 March – Sunday 3 April.

The theme of this year’s festival is reconnect and there’s no
better way to come together and reconnect after months of

distancing than at the NSW Seniors’ Festival.

Whether it’s in person or online, there are hundreds of

free and discounted events and activities

happening state-wide for Seniors to enjoy.

Also back in 2022 are the NSW Seniors’ Festival Expo, Premier’s
Gala Concerts and the NSW Seniors’ Festival Comedy Show.

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For more information on these great events, what’s available online, or to find
an activity near you, visit www.seniorsfestival.nsw.gov.au. And for the latest
Seniors’ Festival news and announcements follow NSW Seniors’ Festival on Facebook.

READER’S DIGEST

SMART ANIMALS

Provide both companionship and amusement

Polly And Pusspuss and we all soon settled into a ILLUSTRATIONS: GETTY IMAGES
routine. Pusspuss had complete
KERRIL COOPER freedom to move wherever he
wished throughout the house
When my friend Renee arrived whereas Polly had restrictions.
at my door one afternoon with a
Huntaway border-collie rescue My bedroom was the cat’s
dog, the deal was that the dog sanctuary. Polly was not allowed
could stay for a trial period of into the room under any
two weeks to see how she got on circumstances. She would often
with my much-loved, but unwell, stand at the doorway when I was in
elderly ginger tomcat, Pusspuss. my bedroom but never put a paw
across the threshold. She seemed
As the dog walked into the room, to instinctively know that the cat
she turned her head away from the was unwell and let him be. This
cat as if to say, “What cat?”
You could earn cash by telling us
The cat, who in his younger days about the antics of unique pets or
got on very well with dogs, totally wildlife. Turn to page 8 for details
ignored her, too. Within the day, on how to contribute.
I knew that this was the dog for us
and we renamed her Polly.

Ground rules were established

16 february 2022

Smart Animals

was a shame as both cat and dog When I eagerly enquired whether
were very social animals and under the cockatoo could talk, she looked
other circumstances would have proudly at her bird who suddenly
been great friends. let out a loud barking sound. I
couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.
However, eight months later,
the sad time came when Pusspuss “I hope you don’t mind me
passed away. That evening, after saying,” I told her, “but this sounds
Polly had been outside, she walked awfully like a dog!”
in the house, stopped, and looked
at me long and hard. She explained that the cockatoo
lived alongside her pet dog for
Then, for the first time since many years and imitated him
her arrival, she turned right, went wonderfully.
into my bedroom and got onto the
bed. She gave me a knowing look I must admit, I have never heard
that said this is my place now, and a bird bark so loudly or as precisely
settled down to sleep. Needless to as a dog.
say, it has been her spot ever since.
brought to you by
The Barking Cockatoo
www.houseofpets.com.au
WARREN FREHSE

During a recent day trip from
Melbourne to Warragul in regional
Victoria, I was amused to see an
elderly lady in a park pushing a
walker with a carefully balanced
cockatoo riding on its front bar. The
lady, wearing a large sun hat and
sunglasses, appeared to be taking
an afternoon walk in the sunshine.

I walked up to her and enquired
whether taking the cockatoo out
for a ride was a regular trip. She
replied enthusiastically, “Oh yes!”
and went on to tell me that her
cockatoo was 35 years old and that
they both enjoyed their daily stroll.
The way she spoke made me think
to myself that this cockatoo was not
only her pet but also a friend.

readersdigest.com.au 17

READER’S DIGEST

PETS

Caring For Goldfish

Avoid these five common mistakes new owners make

BY Dr Katrina Warren

THE HUMBLE GOLDFISH can make a lovely pet for
children and adults alike, with over 100 varieties in
different colours, shapes and sizes. While goldfish are
relatively easy to keep, there are a few common errors
that often result in their early death. Veterinarian
Dr Katrina Warren shares her top tips.

Our regular pet KEEPING GOLDFISH IN A BOWL It is a mistake to put
columnist, goldfish in a small ‘goldfish bowl’. You’ll be wondering
Dr Katrina Warren, why they die within a couple of months. These bowls do
is an established not have a big enough surface area for the fish to obtain
and trusted adequate oxygen. As goldfish require large amounts of
animal expert. oxygen, the best way to provide this is to have a large,
rectangular tank fitted with a filter. This will aerate the
water and help to keep the tank clean. 
Goldfish grow quickly when they have good living
conditions, and they need space to swim. They also
produce a lot of waste and if the tank is too small, it can
become harmful. 
 
NEW TANK SYNDROME This occurs when people set up
a new tank and pop the fish in without settling the tank
to provide the right conditions. In a brand-new tank,
there are not enough beneficial bacteria to eliminate
toxins, so your tank should be left for a few weeks
before adding your fish. During this time, you should

18 february 2022

do what is called ‘cycling the

tank’, which involves using

a kit available from aquatic

shops to test ammonia and

nitrate daily before adding

any fish. This allows time for

bacteria to establish to break

down waste and for

the level of nitrite and Colourful goldfish need a clean tank and
ammonia to drop to a safe ample room to swim around
level. Fish should be added

gradually so the tank can adjust to OVERCROWDING Goldfish are social

the new additions. and should be kept in groups, but

they produce a lot of waste and need

OVERFEEDING This will pollute a lot of space otherwise the water will

your tank as excess food will rot, quickly become polluted. The bigger

producing ammonium which is the tank, the better.

toxic to goldfish. Goldfish should be

fed twice a day and only given the MIXING FISH Goldfish are a cold-

amount of food that can be eaten water fish, so they can’t live with

in two to three minutes. Supervise tropical freshwater fish. Other fish

children at feeding time as they often target their large fins, and

will often be too generous with goldfish may eat fish that are smaller

the amount of food. To adequately than their mouth size. There are

provide for their nutritional needs, not many fish varieties compatible

goldfish should be fed a good-quality with goldfish, so it’s easiest to have

commercial food. Avoid cheap fish a goldfish-only tank. If you do keep

food that has a lot of fillers. You can mixed varieties of fish, be sure to

also supplement a goldfish mix with consult with an aquarium expert to

brine shrimp. ensure you find suitable tank mates.

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES HOW LONG IS A GOLDFISH’S MEMORY?

There’s a common myth There are many studies when goldfish are fed on
that goldfish only have a that show goldfish can one side of a tank, they
three-second memory, remember things for will quickly learn to go to
but scientists have weeks, and sometimes that side of the tank
proven this is not true. months. As an example, around feeding time.

readersdigest.com.au 19

READER’S DIGEST

HEALTH

ICE Exactly when, how, and for ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES
Or how long you should use
ice or heat for lower back
HEAT pain is a source of debate,
For and there aren’t always
Back Pain? hard-and-fast rules. Back pain
strikes up to 80 per cent of people at
Experts weigh in with one point in their lives. Lower back
the best remedies for back pain can be short-lived – lasting four
to 12 weeks – or chronic, in which it
pain, including using persists for 12 weeks or more.
ice and heat together
There is a laundry list of potential
BY Denise Mann causes of lower back pain: advancing
age, underlying disease, overdoing
20 february 2022 it, a big or minor slip. And it can
affect your vertebrae, joints, muscles,
tendons, ligaments and discs. The
cause of your lower back pain and
the structures damaged both play a
role in whether you’ll choose ice or
heat during recovery.

Health

COLD THERAPY In general, apply bottle and mind the temperature
to avoid burns. Apply heat in
cold to your back when the pain short bursts – no more than 20 to
is acute, such as straight after an 30 minutes at a time.
injury. This will help for the two days
following your injury, according to HEAT THERAPY When your back
the US Arthritis Foundation. Cold
can also be helpful if your back aches pain is chronic, heat therapy may be
after exercise. best. “Try continuous, low-level heat
for chronic back pain,” Dr Okubadejo
“Lowering the body temperature says. He suggests wrapping a heated
will help constrict the blood blanket around your lower back.
vessels, reduce swelling, decrease A heating pad is a good option for
inflammation, and cause a numbing certain symptoms of back pain, such
effect,” says Dr Gbolahan Okubadejo, as the painful muscle spasms that can
a spinal and orthopaedic surgeon. occur with some sprains and strains.

You can use a ready-made ice pack Muscle spasms cause your muscles
or make your own. Apply cold for to involuntarily tense up, says
about 10 to 20 minutes a few times Dr Jordan D. Metzl, a sports medicine
throughout the day. Be sure to protect specialist. Heat can loosen up the
your skin by wrapping the ice pack in muscles, he says.
a towel, don’t leave the pack on too
long, and check your skin to make WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR If your
sure it’s not numb.
back pain persists, or gets worse, see
COLD, THEN HEAT Sometimes, cold a doctor to find out what is going
on, Dr Metzl says. Your doctor can
alone isn’t enough. In those cases, run tests to find the cause of your
switch to heat once the inflammation back pain and suggest additional
has cooled, about two days later. “Use treatments such as prescription or
cold first and then apply heat for acute over-the-counter medications, steroid
back pain,” says Dr Okubadejo. “Do injections or physiotherapy.
this for 48 hours after injury to relax
muscles and soothe painful areas.” Ice and heat aren’t usually meant
The warmth stimulates blood to be stand-alone remedies for lower
circulation in your lower back, which back pain, adds physiotherapist Dr
in turn brings healing nutrients to the Jake Magel. Other treatments may
injured tissues, says Dr Okubadejo. be needed to relieve your pain.
He suggests using heat therapy “Generally, it’s an active approach
intermittently for several hours or with the goal of getting you back to
days to improve tissue healing. your regular activities as soon as
possible,” he says.
Use a heating pad or a hot water

readersdigest.com.au 21

HEALTH

New Hope For IBS Sufferers

BY Julie Cook

THESE THREE NEW APPROACHES CHECK FOR OTHER EXPLANATIONS PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
Nearly two thirds of people diagnosed
promise relief for the almost 30 per with IBS have had gallbladder-related
cent of Australians who have problems, gastroenterologist Dr Saad
experienced irritable bowel syndrome F. Habba discovered last year. Others
(IBS). A common disorder that affects had lactose intolerance or colon
the large intestine, IBS symptoms inflammation. All three conditions,
include abdominal pain, diarrhoea whose symptoms mimic those of IBS,
or constipation. can be treated.

TRY AN ANTIBIOTIC In a recent study, “If your doctor says you have IBS,”
40 per cent of participants who took advises Dr Habba, “push them to
a two-week course of the common investigate further.”
antibiotic rifaximin, had symptoms
such as diarrhoea, bloating and USE YOUR BRAIN Simple strategies
stomach pain disapear, with relief like muscle relaxation and controlling
lasting more than two months. For worry significantly improved
some sufferers, the benefits may symptoms in 80 per cent of patients
persist far longer, says research in a trial conducted by Dr Jeffrey
leader Dr Mark Pimentel. “It’s the M. Lackner. “By changing how we
most comprehensive treatment respond to stress,” says Dr Lackner,
we’ve seen in drug trials.” “we can affect IBS symptoms.”

22 february 2022



READER’S DIGEST

News From the

WORLD OF MEDICINE

THE BENEFITS OF EMOTIONAL study published in Ophthalmology. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
SUPPORT ANIMALS Among subjects with a strong
genetic risk for glaucoma, a habit
For many people, owning a dog of drinking more than three cups
or cat can significantly alleviate of coffee per day (or the equivalent
depression, anxiety and loneliness, amount of caffeine from other
according to research into the sources such as tea or energy drinks)
benefits of emotional support raised the likelihood of developing
animals. Although these animals the eye disease.
aren’t trained to do anything
that regular pets don’t do, they PREDIABETES MAY
hold therapeutic significance for AFFECT DEMENTIA RISK
people who struggle with their
psychological health. In a recent High blood sugar is associated with
University of Toledo study, patients vascular dementia (VD), which is
identified at risk of social isolation caused by subpar blood flow to the
who adopted a dog or cat from brain. Research suggests that this
a shelter reported faring better, applies not only to diabetes, but also
on average, 12 months later. The to prediabetes – which raised the
research could lead the way towards risk of VD by 54 per cent.
new thinking about how emotional
support animals can assist in RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
managing mental health issues. AND MIGRAINE LINK

OVER-CAFFEINATING Two large Korean studies have
COULD RAISE concluded that these two
GLAUCOMA RISK conditions raise your
risk of the other. Both
If you have a family are treatable with
history of glaucoma, medications, so if
a leading cause of you have rheumatoid
vision loss, then you arthritis and start
may want to go easy noticing signs of
on the caffeinated migraine, or vice
drinks, suggests a versa, visit your doctor.

24 february 2022

Learn More Effective
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panel beater

READER’S DIGEST

26 february 2022

TECHNOLOGY

While having an online presence is useful, it can
become equally dangerous, especially if you’ve got

personal data or passwords stored online

BY Chris Hoffman
PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY Justin Metz

readersdigest.com.au 27

s the saying goes: often-confusing privacy settings in
the internet is the software and services.”
forever. Once
you’ve put some- With these sorts of slip-ups, the
thing online –  a stakes can be high. But you’re not
credit card num- powerless. You can stand up for your
ber, a silly photo, privacy and begin to take control,
an angry comment on social media starting right now. Here’s how:
– it can come back to haunt you.
But what are the risks, really? 1 Mix Up Your Passwords
“There are two worst-case scenarios,” If you always use the same pass-
says Thorin Klosowski, an expert in word, no matter how carefully craft-
privacy and security. “The most obvi- ed it may be, it’s probably already out
ous one is a security issue. Everyone’s there. While large-scale breaches of
email address and basic details are public records are big news, we don’t
leaked somewhere online, and if you always hear about the smaller-scale
reuse passwords, that means a nefar- breaches, which are frequent. They
ious person will have an easier time occur when criminals purchase
getting into your accounts.” leaked databases of usernames (usu-
The problem is getting worse. A ally email addresses) and passwords
survey by the Australian Institute of on dark web marketplaces. Then the
Criminology (AIC) found that one in crooks try these combinations, hop-
four Australians have been a victim ing to access people’s other accounts.
of identity crime at some point in So use a strong, unique password for
their lives. every account.
“The second worst-case scenar-
io is more primal: embarrassment,” 2 Use a Password
says Klosowski. And sometimes the Manager
pricks to our pride are far more per-
sonal than blushing over an unflat- How can you possibly remember all
tering photo. “Many of us store our your passwords? You can’t. But if you
most intimate thoughts in a digital enlist the help of a password manager,
notes app, draft emails we never you need to remember just one pass-
send, or pour out our private feelings word – for it. For a small annual fee,
into a direct message to a friend. services such as 1Password or Dash-
This is the type of thing that can lane will manage the rest, creating
get leaked online, either through a strong passwords and automatically
provider being negligent or through filling them in for you. Bitwarden is a
your own misunderstanding of the good free option. Or use the free man-
ager built into your browser or phone.

28 february 2022

Delete Your Internet Footprint

may have shared sitting around so
they can be discovered by criminals
–  or misused if an unscrupulous
company one day buys and abuses
your data.

To learn how to delete an account,
perform a web search such as “delete
old email account.” You can also vis-
it justdelete.me, which has instruc-
tions for deleting different types of
accounts. Or go right to the compa-
ny; check its online support pages or
contact customer support and ask for
account deletion.

3 Find Out Whether 5 Download Your Data
Criminals Have Your Deleting an account doesn’t
Information mean you lose everything you had
on that particular site. For example,
Visit haveibeenpwned.com to see you can easily download all the data
whether your email address, phone associated with a Facebook or Goog-
number or passwords are included le account and do whatever you want
in any leaked databases available to with it. Just be sure to keep backup
criminals. Be aware, however, that copies of everything you consider
the leaks on HaveIBeenPwned are important.
just the tip of the iceberg of what
criminals have access to. 6 Find Old Accounts
You probably don’t remember
every online account you’ve ever
created. To find old accounts you
might want to delete, search your
emails for terms like ‘welcome’, ‘ver-
ify’, ‘your account’ and ‘free trial’.

4 Delete Old Accounts 7 Delete Old Emails, Too
You probably have a lot of online Do you really need to keep old
accounts you no longer use, and they emails forever? They contain a lot of
might contain personal information. personal details that could be useful
Delete them. Don’t leave details you to identity thieves.

readersdigest.com.au 29

READER’S DIGEST

8 Search Your example, on Facebook you can limit
Usernames Online who can find you, who can see what
you post, and what Facebook shares
Head to a search engine and search about you with other companies.
for your name, as well as any user A good guide to Facebook privacy
names you’ve gone by online. The settings can be found at consumer-
results show you where your name reports.org/privacy/facebook-priva-
appears on the public web. In all like- cy-settings/.
lihood, your social media profiles will
pop up in the results. That means they 11 Delete Old Social
will also show up for other people who Media Posts
search for you.
Facebook was created back in 2004.
9 Hide Social Media By now, the university students who
Profiles From Search shared their party photos on the so-
Engines cial media service in its infancy are in
their mid-30s. Fortunately, Facebook
Want to wipe these personal details
from the internet? You can
make your social media ac-
counts vanish from search
results by visiting each site
that came up in your initial
search and changing the
privacy settings. Each site
works a bit differently; for
guidance, search for ‘priva-
cy settings’ and the name of
each site. While you’re clean-
ing things up, you can also
remove comments you’ve
posted, delete accounts, or
ask websites to take down
your personal information.

10 Control Social
Media Privacy
Settings

You may also want to restrict
who can see what you post
on social media sites. For

30 february 2022

Delete Your Internet Footprint

has a Manage Activity tool that lets it your default search engine on all
you delete or archive posts older than your devices by going to duckduck-
a certain date. Instagram allows you go.com and clicking the ‘add’ button.
to delete or archive individual posts. Unlike Google and other big-name
Only you can see the things you’ve search engines, DuckDuckGo doesn’t
archived on either platform. track your searches and link them to
you, so it won’t show you targeted ads
Twitter has no built-in way to de- or personalised search results, either.
lete old tweets, but third-party tools
such as TweetDelete can delete 14 Tell Google to
them, either automatically or based Stop Tracking You
on specific criteria that you set. The
tool can even remove your likes on Even if you want to keep using Goog-
other users’ tweets. le, you can activate more privacy
settings to keep the internet giant
12 Opt Out of People from tracking all your web searches
Finder Websites – which it does automatically if you’re
logged in to Google (while using
Beyond social media, countless ‘peo- Gmail, for example). Even YouTube,
ple finder’ websites host databases which is owned by Google, tracks a
full of personal information. This in- history of the videos you watch. But
cludes names, addresses, ages, phone this tracking is optional. You can tell
numbers and even court records. Google to stop collecting your data in
You can opt out, but you’ll have to the future and to delete whatever it
do it from each service separately. Be has already collected.
warned that companies may opt you
back in, so you may have to opt out To pause collection and delete pre-
more than once. viously collected data, visit the My
Google Activity page. To get there,
Services such as PrivacyDuck and click on your Google profile photo,
DeleteMe promise to do the work for go to Manage Your Google Account,
you, but they cost hundreds of dollars and, in the left navigation panel, click
a year and don’t cover every one of Data & Privacy. Then, under History
the people finders, so they may not be Settings, click My Activity and turn off
worth it unless you are a public figure any activity you don’t want to save.
or are actively being harassed.

13 Search with 15 Limit Who Has Your
DuckDuckGo Location History

To limit the data gathered on you Something else Google may track
in the future, use the more private about you, unless you tell it not to, is

search engine DuckDuckGo. Make your location history. Depending on

readersdigest.com.au 31

READER’S DIGEST

your settings, Google may store this 17 Use a VPN
information forever, building a data- A VPN creates a secure tun-
base of your movements. nel to the internet, acting as a con-
duit between you and your internet
Google can gather this information service provider by encrypting your
via smartphones with its Android connection. With a VPN, your internet
operating system or if you install the service provider can’t see what web-
Google Maps app on an iPhone and sites you’re accessing, and the web-
give it location access. sites you’re accessing can see only the
VPN’s IP address, not your IP address.
Here’s how to stop it: on the My
Google Activity page, select the If you’ve ever worked remotely,
option to pause collection of your you’ve likely used your company’s
location and delete your collected VPN. The privacy that VPNs provide
location data or tell Google to auto- is attractive.
matically delete it.
When choosing a VPN, do some re-
16 Configure Your search, look up independent reviews,
Browser for Privacy and be sure to pick a trustworthy one.
Operating a VPN costs money, so
Browser cookies are small pieces many free VPNs are untrustworthy
of information that websites can and may even sell your data to make
store in your browser to track you. a profit. A good VPN generally charg-
Chrome is moving away from cook- es a subscription fee, often just a few
ies and toward a technology called dollars a month.
‘FLoC’, which will essentially make
the browser track your search histo- 18Go Incognito
ry and report your general interests A VPN isn’t a magic bullet.
to websites so they can feed you ads It’s just one piece of the puzzle.
based on your perceived interests. Let’s say you connect to a VPN, visit
Google’s website, and sign in to your
There are ways to limit this track- Google account. Now Google knows
ing, with ad blockers and browser who you are. Even if you don’t sign
extensions that protect privacy. But in, websites can check your browser
you can be tracked in other ways, in- cookies to link your VPN activity to
cluding by your IP address, a number your previous browsing.
that identifies your internet connec-
tion online. (Every device on your Use your browser’s private-brows-
home network likely shares the same ing mode to better protect your pri-
IP address.) vacy while using a VPN. To go in-
cognito on Chrome, click on the File
One way to conceal your IP menu in the upper left corner and
address is with a VPN, or virtual
private network.

32 february 2022

Delete Your Internet Footprint

select New Incognito Win-
dow. On Firefox, choose
New Private Window.

19 Switch to that uses end-to-end encryption is
Privacy- Signal. Owned by a non-profit and
Friendly Apps popular with activists worldwide,
it works on both Apple and Android
Just like websites, the apps products.
on our phones collect data
about us. Until recently, 21Take Advantage of
finding out how various Apple’s New Privacy
app companies use that Features
data meant reading long
and tedious privacy pol- Apple has been a leader in introduc-
icies. But now it’s getting a bit eas- ing privacy features, and recently the
ier thanks to new features such as company added even more with the
privacy labels in Apple’s App Store, newest operating systems, namely
which tell you what type of data an iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and macOS Mon-
app collects before you install it. terey. Most of these features require
There are usually multiple apps for iCloud+, an additional paid iCloud
the same purposes, so choose those storage plan. The included iCloud
that collect less data. Private Relay service functions sim-
ilarly to a VPN: it routes your Safari
20 Seek Out End-to-End browsing traffic through an anony-
Encryption mous server. Websites will know the
general region you’re in but won’t see
For improved privacy online, seek your unique IP address as you browse.
out services that use end-to-end en-
cryption. With this type of security, When signing up for accounts or
your data can be seen only by you newsletters online, the Hide My
and the people you communicate
with. Apple’s iMessages use it, for ex-
ample (iMessages are text messages
between two Apple users, indicated
by blue chat bubbles – as opposed to
green text messages, which indicate
a non-Apple user). Sites that employ
end-to-end encryption often say so
in order to advertise their enhanced
security. One communication app

readersdigest.com.au 33

READER’S DIGEST

Email feature in iCloud+ lets you
create randomised unique email ad-
dresses that forward emails to your
real email account. Senders can’t
see your real email address, and
you can deactivate a randomised
email address at any time – perfect
for avoiding spam.

22 Protect Your Mail inconsequential, but remember, per-
Even if you don’t pay for sonal details such as your birthday
iCloud+, be sure to look for the Mail or the city you were born in are just
Privacy Protection feature that pops the sorts of facts you should guard
up the first time you open Apple’s carefully, as they are often the an-
Mail app. It will block tracking pix- swers to your security questions.
els, preventing people (and advertis-
ers) from seeing when you opened Worse yet, should a criminal get
their emails. When you load images hold of your birthdate and the city
in emails, Apple will hide your ad- you were born in, suddenly it be-
dress from trackers. comes easier to guess your other
private identity details.
23 Remove Saved
Payment Details Concerns about online privacy
aren’t just concerns about privacy on
Don’t save your payment details the internet, they’re about privacy in
on online shopping sites. True, this every facet of our lives. All of this is
makes it easier for you to buy the a lot to fully comprehend. But know-
things you want, but it also makes ing the scale of the problem and
it easier for criminals to gain access taking these very doable steps is a
to your accounts and buy things as good start.
you. As a compromise, you may want
to keep a credit card stored on sites Writer Chris Hoffman is the editor
you shop often but not on sites you of HowtoGeek.com.
use only occasionally.

24 Be Careful About
Sharing Info

Think twice before sharing any per-
sonal details anywhere online. At
the time, sharing a tidbit may seem

34 february 2022

A LEGACY OF HOPE

Chris O’Brien Lifehouse is a ProfessRr Chris O’Brien AO
comprehensive cancer centre
treating both public and private 3 Jan 1952 - 4 Jun 2009
patients. When Professor Chris
O’Brien AO was diagnosed with Chris O’Brien Lifehouse is not only
brain cancer, he used his diagnosis Chris’ legacy, but the legacy of our
to advocate for his vision of bringing community of gift in Will
together all elements of cancer care supporters. As a not-for-profit
in one place. hospital, our model of care relies on
our generous supporters, who
Today, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse is the enable major breakthroughs in
leading referral centre in Australia world-first cancer research and
for rare and complex cancers. We further advance our standards of
offer every type of treatment and specialised and holistic care.
service that people with cancer need
under one roof. Our clinicians are By leaving a gift in your Will to Chris
world-leaders in cancer research, O’Brien Lifehouse, you leave a
determined to find better ways to legacy of hope for people with
treat patients, improve outcomes cancer and their families, both now
and deliver uncompromising, and intR WKH IXWXUH.
patient-centred care.

To find out more about how you can make an impact, please
contact Rebecca Scott for a confidential discussion on
02 8514 0988 or [email protected].

WITH A BIG

36 february 2022 E

INSPIRATION

Her son’s organ donation
saved his life. So he rode
2300 kilometres to meet her

BY A. C. Shilton F R O M B I C YC L I N G M AG A Z I N E

Mike Cohen, left,
with Christine and

David Cheers

readersdigest.com.au 37

READER’S DIGEST

IT TOOK SEVERAL
drafts to get the letters right. To distil It was time for Christine to honour
her boy’s life into the two dimension- the spirit of a man who had switched PHOTOS: (PREVIOUS SPREAD, LEFT): JOHN FRANCIS PETERS; (RIGHT) CHARLOTTE KESL
alities of words on paper. To paint a from studying commerce engineering
picture of someone full of energy and to medicine because he wanted to
love, so that the beneficiaries of his help people. It was time to make her
death, the recipients of his organs, very worst day a stranger’s best one.
would know just how lucky they were.
Christine told the hospital to begin
Three weeks earlier, the thread that the organ donation process. These
held Christine Cheers’s world togeth- few words, as hard as they were to say,
er had been ripped away. On February would soon ripple outwards, allowing
21, 2018, someone on the other end a man to return to work, a military vet-
of the phone had said the words that eran to regain his health, and an ailing
bring parents to their knees: “There’s cyclist to get back on his bike.
been an accident.”
MIKE COHEN WAS JUST 18 when he’d
Her son, James Mazzuchelli, 32, a been diagnosed with an aggressive
flight surgeon with the US Navy, had form of leukaemia in 2004. Doctors
been injured in a helicopter training warned him that the treatment proto-
mission at a military base in Califor- col could cause lasting damage to his
nia. If she wanted to see him while he heart. At the time, surviving cancer
was still alive, she needed to get on the seemed like the more pressing con-
next flight from Florida. cern. He took his treatment seriously,
doing the radiation and chemother-
James was still breathing when apy and even moving from New York
Christine and James’s stepfather, Da- to San Diego, California, for his last
vid Cheers, arrived at Scripps Memo- year of chemo because his oncolo-
rial Hospital in La Jolla, California, the gist felt that mild weather would be
next morning. Machines were keeping easier on his body. The risk had paid
him alive, and the doctors told Chris- off – two years after his diagnosis, he
tine that what she was seeing was like- was cancer-free. As soon as he was
ly his future – that her scuba-diving, healthy enough, he was hiking or
world-travelling, overachiever of a son riding his bike.
was never going to wake up. He would
never breathe on his own. He would To celebrate his sixth year without
never smile at her again.

38 february 2022

Mike setting out on his cross-country journey

PHOTO: JOHN FRANCIS PETERS cancer, Mike decided to ride his bike ran out of his abdomen. Even with
cross-country to New York. From the an emergency backup battery pack,
start, it was a grind. “You couldn’t go out in public be-
cause you couldn’t trust that some-
What he didn’t know during that one wouldn’t knock into the cord,” he
ride was that his heart was beginning says. His old active life seemed like a
to fail, and in the years that followed, thousand lifetimes ago.
his health continued to deteriorate.
Even on days he didn’t ride his bike, Doctors had told him the device
he always felt tired. Then one evening could work for eight months or eight
in 2017, he started having chest pains. years. Six months later, though, Mike
was in hospital with another clot. His
His brother, Dan, rushed him to heart was failing. He would need a
hospital, where doctors discovered new one.
a clot the size of a golf ball lodged
in his left ventricle. They tried blood Heart transplant priority lists are
thinners, but the clot wouldn’t budge. tricky. You have to be sick enough to
Soon hospital staff were preparing truly need the new organ but not so
him for open-heart surgery to install sick you can’t withstand the lengthy
a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), surgery or the immunosuppressant
which would do the pumping that his drugs heart transplant patients take
heart couldn’t accomplish. to sustain the new organ. Mike fit
those parameters and was at the top
The implanted LVAD required con- of the list.
stant access to an electrical outlet,
which meant Mike was literally teth- Now he just had to hope he sur-
ered to the indoors by a cord that vived the wait for a new heart.

readersdigest.com.au 39

READER’S DIGEST

On the plus side, Mike’s blood serviceman and doctor, James embod-
work showed the clot had dissolved ied the ideals of bravery and altruism.
enough that he could safely go home. “James had such an amazing heart,”
As he packed his bag on February 24, she says.
a nurse walked in. “I have good news
and bad news,” she said. Mike asked When a hospital representative de-
for the bad news first. “You’re not go- livered the news that James’s heart
ing home today,” she said. The good was headed out of the hospital, David
news? They’d found him a heart. and Christine watched as the cooler
was taken away.
The next morning, Mike woke up in
a hospital bed with a new heart beat- In the ensuing weeks, Christine
ing in his chest. He took his first steps descended into a grief so deep that
around his hospital room just five days climbing out seemed impossible. Her
later. “The old heart was like a two. lone consolation, she knew, would be
With the LVAD my energy was like a to find out that James’s organs had
five,” he says. “This heart is a ten.” helped people. That the recipients
were doing all right. So she wrote
After two weeks, he began
cardiac rehabilitation, where he James Mazzuchelli loved adventure,
started with slow walking on a serving in the Navy and helping others
treadmill. Across the room he
spied a stationary bike. He knew
he wasn’t ready yet, but it became
a beacon. And two weeks later,
with his doctor’s permission, he
threw a leg over and soft-pedalled.

CHRISTINE CHEERS wasn’t leaving
the hospital until every last one of
her son’s organs left the building.

She and David watched hospi-
tal employees carry coolers from
the operating room: his kidneys,
pancreas and liver went to various
recipients. His corneas went to an
eye bank; tissue and bone went to
tissue and bone banks. That left
his heart.

“That was the one I cared
about most,” Christine says. As a

40 february 2022

The Biker With A Big Heart

PHOTOS: (TOP TO BOTTOM) PAT HEINE/BICYCLING MAGAZINE; COURTESY CHRISTINE CHEERS each recipient, at least the four she trip as soon as his doctor said it was
knew of, a letter. OK. The end point of that ride now
came into focus. He wanted to pay
The part Christine wanted to get his respects in person. It seemed fit-
right was the one about what organ ting to make the journey by bike – to
donation had meant to her son. How show just how transformative his
glad he would be that his heart and new heart was.
kidneys and tissue were helping oth-
ers. She didn’t want the recipients to He took his time before responding
feel guilty about the heft and gravitas to Christine: a week to process her
of the gift they had received. letter and another week to compose
his own. He wanted to accurately ex-
TWO MONTHS AFTER HIS SURGERY, press how grateful he was for James’s
heart and how determined he was
Mike Cohen got a call from the or- to keep it beating for years to come.
ganisation that had coordinated the He communicated his desire to stay
transplant. There was a letter for him. in touch with James’s family, if that’s
When he got it, he unfolded the type- what they wanted.
written pages and took a breath.
Of the four letters Christine had
Christine described her son’s love sent, she got a response to two. The
for serving his country and the fact first was from the man who got one of
that he considered everyone a friend James’s kidneys and his pancreas. He
and never judged a soul. He was self- thanked her, saying how the organs
less, she wrote, had a quirky sense had changed his life – that he could
of humour, and was a brilliant and go back to work and provide for his
gifted doctor. She described his love family. But his letter subtly hinted
for scuba diving, snowboarding and that the thank-you note was all the
motorcycles. contact he wished to have.

As he read Christine’s letter, Mike Mike’s letter was a balm for a wound
began to understand just how spe- that Christine felt would never heal.
cial his new heart was. Eager to know And so began the emails and texts,
more about James, Mike googled which proved comforting to her.
him. They had a lot in common. They
were both athletic and practically BY SEPTEMBER 2018, Mike was back
the same age. James was 32 when he riding and building up his mileage.
died, while Mike had turned 33 on His doctors ultimately gave their
the very day of James’s accident. blessing for the cross-country ride he
was planning for the following year.
He learned James was buried in
Jacksonville, Florida. He would take the trip slowly so
he wouldn’t overstress his heart and
Back in rehab, Mike had hatched
a plan to take another cross-country

readersdigest.com.au 41

Left: Mike recovering from the operation.
Right: Mike and Seton (left) on the road beside the RV that trailed them

immune system: four hours riding cooperating. Perhaps he hadn’t eaten PHOTOS: (LEFT TO RIGHT) COURTESY MIKE COHEN; JOHN FRANCIS PETERS.
a day max, keeping his heart under enough or hydrated properly. What-
150 beats per minute – doctor’s orders. ever the cause, it didn’t really matter.
What mattered was that he had to
Mike recruited his brother Dan – keep his heart rate under 150 beats
who had become certified as a medi- per minute, but the steep Cuyamaca
cal assistant so he could care for Mike Mountains east of San Diego were
after his first open-heart surgery – to sending it sky-high.
tag along in an RV as support. Then
Mike asked his friend Seton Edger- Seton had rigged Mike’s heart-rate
ton to ride with him. The trip would monitor so he could see the readout
start from the cardiac ward at the San on the computer attached to his bike’s
Diego hospital that treated Mike and handlebars.. He watched helplessly as
finish at James’s grave. They figured the beats-per-minute shot up. Both
it would take just under two months. men were thinking to themselves: This
is just the first day. Should we even be
They would cycle most of the way attempting this?
and ride in the RV only on the busiest
highways. When Mike announced on But on they rode, across Arizo-
social media that he was riding to his na and then on to Texas. Mike and
donor’s grave site, the Cheers family Seton rolled along in matching blue
decided they would meet him there. jerseys, the struggles of that arduous
first day behind them as Mike’s heart
IT WAS ONLY DAY ONE of a 2300-kilo- rate settled down. Still, somewhere
metre bike trip and, as with his first in the desert they took a wrong turn
cross-country trip, his heart was not and ended up slogging through deep

42 february 2022

The Biker With A Big Heart

PHOTO: CHARLOTTE KESL sand. In the first 1600 kilometres, she’d deeply loved, and from a grate-
they got 24 flat tyres between them. ful man who’d been accepted by the
family whose worst day was his best.
FROM FLORIDA, Christine and Da-
vid followed along on social media, Together, the two then walked
worrying about traffic and dogs and the few steps to James’s headstone.
all the things that can befall a rider Mike squatted down and took a deep
in the middle of nowhere. The few breath, feeling the strong pulse of
times that Mike and Seton had to James’s heart in his chest. Silently he
detour onto an interstate highway, told James how thankful he was for
Christine winced at the thought of his sacrifice and how sorry he was
trucks whizzing by those boys – and they’d never get to be friends. He
that heart. If it had been her son, she promised to take care of his heart.
might have called him and scolded
him. But Mike wasn’t her son; he was Someone ran back to the RV to grab
a stranger with her son’s heart. the stethoscope from Dan’s medical
kit. Christine slid the cold metal head
On November 20, 2019, Mike and underneath Mike’s blue jersey and lis-
Seton pedalled the last few kilo- tened. And there it was, loud and
metres. As Mike got closer to the clear. The best part of her son, still
cemetery, he grew nervous, unsure very much alive.
what kind of emotions may be at-
tached to meeting strangers who FROM BICYCLING MAGAZINE (JANUARY 24, 2020),
had already come to mean so much © 2020 BY HEARST MAGAZINE MEDIA, INC.
to him. Christine and David Cheers
were at the grave site early. They “I wanted Christine to know that James’s
wanted some time alone with their heart was in a safe place,” says Mike
son before Mike arrived. Then Mike
and Seton coasted into the cemetery.

Mike got off his bike, handed it to
Seton, and walked straight to Chris-
tine. At a loss for words, he managed
a quiet “Hi.”

In that moment, Christine felt a
deep sense of calm, as if she’d known
Mike her entire life. They folded into
a deep hug. Then came the tears.
They weren’t tears of grief. They were
tears of relief, from a mother who
knew she’d done right by someone

readersdigest.com.au 43

EARTH’S HEROES

Encounters

For this ex-teacher and citizen scientist,
the solution to overfishing in Indonesian waters
lay in changing a long-established mindset

BY Lam Lye Ching

44 february 2022

Unlike great white
sharks, whale sharks eat
mostly plankton and are

harmless to humans

B ack in 2011, Kathy Xu’s brother invited her
to visit Exmouth in Western Australia, and
go to Ningaloo Reef to see its famous whale
sharks. She jumped at the chance. Although
Kathy had taken a diving course when she was
studying history at the National University of Singa-
pore, she had only been to local waters, and seeing
a shark in the wild was definitely on her wish list.

The trip to Ningaloo Reef changed Kathy, who
at the time taught history at a secondary school.

readersdigest.com.au 45

READER’S DIGEST

She was so inspired by the beauty shark fishing, I realised that social me-

and grace of the whale sharks that dia only shows one side of the shark

she teared up in her snorkel mask. fishing industry, through a very priv-

“I was screaming with excitement ileged lens,” she says.

inside, while still tr ying to keep Shark fishing is risky and involves

calm and enjoy the moment with hard, physical work. It can take many

the 15-metre-long whale shark,” she days for fishing fleets to track and

says. The connection she felt with the locate sharks, which means the fish-

slow-moving, plankton-eating crea- ermen are forced to go further and

tures was intense. further away from the shore, often

A year later, several Facebook posts breaching international water borders.

popped up in her newsfeed lambast- This can lead to arrests, and forfeiture

ing fishermen in Lombok, Indonesia, of their livelihoods and freedom.

for needlessly killing sharks. Curios- It became clear to Kathy that the

ity led her to pack her fishermen have in-
bags and head to the It was a chance to timate and expert

fishing port of Tan- give the fishermen knowledge about
jung Luar, Indone- their local seas, the
sia’s largest targeted an alternative sea life and reefs, yet

shark fisheries, to see and sustainable their motivation to

for herself. livelihood fish, much as it had
Located in East been for genera-

Lombok, in West tions, was driven by

Nusa Tenggara Province, Tanjung Luar the need to provide for their families.

is home to one of Indonesia’s largest The pride they felt for the local sea

shark markets. Sharks are cut up into life wasn’t restricted to fishing. Once

parts and fins, meat, cartilage, bones, they heard Kathy was a snorkeller,

skin and teeth are traded. Most prized they urged her to visit the coral reefs

are the fins, which fetch high prices on near the fish market that were ideal for

the international market. Indonesia is recreational snorkellers like her. That’s

the largest exporter of shark fins in when she struck up a deal.

the world, according to the US-based “I told them I would pay them

MarineBio Conservation Society. money to take tourists out to see

Between 2012 and mid-2013, Kathy these snorkelling havens.” The men

took five trips to Lombok, sitting at could see the potential in the idea

the fishing port market and talking and agreed. A new sustainable tour-

with the fishermen over coffee to find ism venture was born, one that would

out more about their lives. help the fishermen, and potentially

“Listening to their stories about the sharks as well.

46 february 2022

The Dorsal Effect founder Kathy Zu is also involved in marine conservation efforts

PHOTOS: (PREVIOUS SPREAD) GETTY IMAGES; With no business background, to the impact Kathy hoped it would
(THIS PAGE) COURTESY THE DORSAL EFFECT, FACEBOOK Kathy made the decision in 2013 make at the ‘back end’ of the shark
to quit her full-time teaching job. fishing industry. Her business objec-
She wanted to focus on building an tive was to curb the depletion of shark
ecotourism business that could help numbers, but not at the expense of
save the depleting shark population the fishermen, who would now have
in Lombok waters. At the same time, a new source of income.
it was a chance to give the fishermen
an alternative and sustainable live- Despite making a business pitch
lihood so they could stop hunting video showing how 100 million
sharks and being dependent on the sharks are killed each year (about
low prices paid by shark traders for 3.17 sharks per second), and the re-
their risk and hard work. alities of the shark fishing industry,
Kathy struggled to find investors to
ECOTOURISM fund her business. Then, in October
2013, she won the Young Social En-
And so, Kathy’s business, which she trepreneurs competition funded by
named The Dorsal Effect, was born. the Singapore International Founda-
The word dorsal means back and a tion (SIF) and was awarded S$10,000
shark’s dorsal fin is usually its biggest dollars. She put all the money into
fin. But the business’s name also refers the business, buying snorkel gear,

readersdigest.com.au 47

READER’S DIGEST

Former shark fishermen share their knowledge with tourists and snorkellers

life vests and equipment, as well as only between US$50 and US$100 per PHOTO: COURTESY THE DORSAL EFFECT, FACEBOOK
paying for boat repairs and refur- trip,” says Kathy. She says that many
bishments for the fishermen. She of them go into debt because they
was also selected for a four-week need to buy bait and other supplies.
shark survey programme in the US,
which was attached to the Florida After a promising start, the busi-
State University Coastal and Marine ness then struggled to attract suf-
Laboratory. ficient tourists. So Kathy pumped
most of her savings into the business
By September 2013, The Dorsal and reduced her staff to just one
Effect was ready to launch its first fisherman tour guide. She also re-
boat trip. Divers paid US$120 for a sumed teaching part-time at schools
one-day excursion to explore places and a polytechnic in Singapore.
that were not even listed in a Google Then in 2014, Kathy and SIF made
search yet, with local fishermen as a three-minute documentary titled
their tour guides. Hunted by the Dorsal Effect, show-
ing the reality of the shark market
“The fishermen in Lombok go on in Lombok. It attracted over one
shark fishing trips that stretch up to million views and boosted business.
ten to 20 days each and they make

48 february 2022