You don't need to go to Mexico to catch parasites. They're coming across the border all the time.
Posted on 12/10/2004 5:13:28 AM PST by NCjim
A man who either fell or jumped off the roof of his moving Mercedes-Benz in Scottsdale has been identified as an acclaimed chief financial officer for Phoenix whose struggles with a parasite might have caused his behavior Wednesday. Kevin Keogh, 55, died about 3 p.m. after he climbed onto the roof of the car he was driving east on Camelback Road with arms outstretched, similar to actor Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie “Titanic.”
Police haven't determined if the death was suicide or accidental, Scottsdale detective Sam Bailey said.
Keogh contracted the illness a couple of years ago while on vacation in Mexico and his wife, Karlene, told city officials "she believes the parasite impaired his frontal lobe inhibition, said Toni Maccarone, a Phoenix spokeswoman.
The specifics of Keogh's illness were unavailable, but he had been receiving treatment, city officials said.
Will Humble, bureau chief for disease control for the Arizona Department of Health Services, said that in general, tapeworms can invade brain tissue and cause brain damage. People can get tapeworms from eating undercooked pork in Mexico or pig feces on vegetables, he said.
"Usually, it's someone who’s from Mexico who comes up here as a migrant or someone who is binational that goes back and forth a lot. Very seldom is it a tourist who goes shopping and has a street taco or something," Humble said.
The worms have long incubation periods, ranging from weeks to 10 years, he said.
Autopsy results won't be available for a couple of months, Bailey said. Keogh, who had worked for Phoenix since 1976, made $164,000 a year and supervised 300 employees and part of the city’s $1 billion budget, Maccarone said.
“There is nothing we can do to replace Kevin,” City Manager Frank Fairbanks said at a news conference. “Kevin was more than a professional; he was a person.”
Bailey was not aware of any notes or documents Keogh left behind.
Witnesses told police the car was going about 40 mph when he got on the roof. Wednesday, police said the car was traveling 50 mph.
Police found his body on a sidewalk near 68th Street and Camelback Road, about 300 yards from where his car crashed into another, Bailey said.
Outside of work, he was known to be a patron of the arts and for his work with charities.
Keogh and his wife started the Arnold Keogh Health Foundation, which provided health insurance to mostly working-class women and their children.
“Kevin is very, very community minded," said Phoenix Vice Mayor Peggy Bilsten. “It’s sad for me for a number of reasons. They were a beautiful, beautiful couple, just a great example of what a good couple should be."
Bilsten is a member of the foundation board and a friend who had worked with Keogh for 10 years.
Keogh was reserved and noted for his sense of humor, co-workers said. He had no children.
"He made Phoenix a better place to live," Fairbanks said.
City and State magazine named Keogh one of the top 11 financial innovators in the country in 1993. The magazine selected Keogh the best finance director in the nation in 1987.
He held a bachelor's degree in philosophy and political science from Iona College in New York and a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University.
Jeff DeWitt, the assistant finance director, will serve as the interim chief financial officer, Maccarone said.
“He’s probably one of most intelligent, very professional, very, very good finance directors. I learned a great deal from him in 10 years," said DeWitt, who called Keogh his mentor and worked with him daily.
Kevin Randolph, 25, a counselor intern at Brophy College Preparatory School who lives in Phoenix, suffered minor injuries after Keogh’s car plowed into the back of his 2000 Plymouth Neon.
He recalled thinking, "I've been hit, but there’s nobody in the car.” Randolph was stopped at a red light waiting for a man to cross Camelback on a bicycle.
The man later told Randolph he was grateful Randolph's car blocked him from the runaway Mercedes.
I know Mexico is a parasitic county but this one takes the prize.
I found it... it's "Hey You" on "The Wall"
But it was only fantasy.
The wall was too high,
As you can see.
No matter how he tried,
He could not break free.
And the worms ate into his brain.
:-) fantastic album!!!
"If it prevents one Freeper or lurker from ordering a taco on a vacation from a stand in Mexico City, than it's worth it."
Can we ship these over to Saudi Arabia?
Thankyou for your service to the FR public.
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body.
But rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out shouting
"Holy $hit! What a ride!!"
It was humor!
Ya think?
As point of fact, even Homer Simpson hasn't tried this. I'm just sayin'. And hey, you kids at home, don't attempt this - even trained cfo's find this stunt difficult.
Is that normal? Heck Quincy could have the results in a day or two.
For them to claim he "struggled" with this it must have been known. If it was known it must have been treated. If the worms were gone and he was not impaired then why did he do a superman off of the roof of his Mercedes? If there was irreversible impairment why was he driving? Seems to me there is something else at work here besides tapeworms.
Perhaps this poor community minded guy with a great sense of humor who smashed someone's car and would have killed a biker if the car hadn't there was struggling with the tequila worm instead.
"Please Sir, more pig feces please!"
check please !
Streets, basic sanitation, garbage pickup, police services, etc.
That may not add up to a billion, because there are a lot of "parasitic" stuff added on, but they account for a good chunk.
Aw...c'mon: I don't do anymore than anyone else who shares knowledge of their profession on these boards be it airline pilot, software engineer, soldier, chemist, nurse, journalist, vulcanologist, anthropologist, ecdysiast, etc.
LoL. I saw that episode!
You don't need to go to Mexico to catch parasites. They're coming across the border all the time.
Yep--that's ridiculous, unless I'm missing something here. Even sophisticated immunohistologic staining only takes a couple weeks, at most. I'm baffled...even though they like have to send it to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology or some other top pathology lab known for specialty work.
In the case of the pork tapeworm (t.solium), eggs hatch in the stomach and the larvae travel through the stomach lining to the bloodstream and can develop into cysts in other parts of the body (e.g. brain and under the skin). This causes a disease known as cysticercosis.
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