The Saint Paul Pioneer Press: "Of all the specialists who puzzle over Garth, of all the expensive drugs dripping into his veins, nothing brings relief. The stomach cramps and constipation persist. He's getting worse. And then his magic bullet arrives.

The remedy comes from an unlikely deliverer known as the Milkshake Man. Jim Mayer is a veteran who lost both legs in Vietnam. Several times a week, he brings McDonald's milkshakes to the amputees on Ward 57. The visits are an excuse to talk and counsel. Mayer arrives this Saturday but Garth refuses the shake. Too rich. Any chance of a Mountain Dew, he asks.

The super-caffeinated soda does it. Caffeine! The next day, Garth is sitting up. His blinds are open. 'Mountain Dew saved my goddamn life,' he says, his voice deep and robust. Suddenly, he is ravenous. 'Domino's keeps showing this commercial for Cinna Stix,' he says. 'You dip them in icing. Man, I want some.'"