ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Credit: WINK News Pancreatic cancer has a nasty reputation. It is hard to detect in patients and is naturally aggressive. However, doctors can still make strides, and even more, people are beating the odds. Frank Barreiro says he could tell something was off. “I knew. I know, my body. And I knew something was drastically wrong,” Barreiro said. But, at 47years old, pancreatic cancer was the furthest thing from his mind. Barreiro is a husband, father, teacher, and sportsman. He simply had too much left to live for. “Of course, you’d go straight to ‘that’s it.’ I thought that was the end for me,” Barreiro said. Luckily for him, that was just the beginning. Barreiro and his doctors were able to catch his cancer before it spread. This made him a good candidate for surgery. This surgery can only be performed if the cancer is caught early on. Dr. Mark Bloomston is a surgical oncologist. “The operation for that is known as a Whipple operation. It’s arguably one of the most complicated operations we do in the abdomen. It involves taking out about a third of the pancreas, the first foot of intestine, usually a couple [of] inches of the stomach, the bile duct, which is about six inches in length, and the gallbladder, if they still have one,” Dr. Bloomston said. “So it’s a very complicated operation. We use the intestine to put everything back together so they can go back to digesting normally.” The surgery helped Barreiro’s mindset. “After that, I never really thought I was gonna die,” he said. “I believed that I was going to make it. I believed that. I had a young daughter. She was graduating high school.” That was five and a half years ago. Now, Barreiro has been firmly put into the survivor category as far as pancreatic cancer is concerned. “By and large, if you make it to the five-year mark, with this type of cancer, you’re probably cured. And so, we expect those patients to have a normal life expectancy and have… they’re subjected to the normal diseases that aging patients have,” he said. Barreiro’s story is one that’s becoming more common. Dr. Bloomston keeps a “wall of fame” for his pancreatic cancer superstars that are living and thriving. “Just because you’re handed that diagnosis is not a guarantee that you’re going to die from that cancer,” said Dr. Bloomston. Frank Barreiro is living proof of this. “I’m fishing. I’m weightlifting. I’m golfing. I’m doing everything I did before. I’m the same way that was before. Life has just fallen right back into place but with a rosier look. So, it’s kind of people [who] don’t understand when I say it, but it’s better. It’s better now than it was before. I appreciate everything just a little bit more,” said Barreiro. Again, the surgery Barreiro benefitted from is available if the cancer is caught early on. However, several advanced treatment options are being used in advanced cases.