According to the manufacturer, the color of his 2007 Lincoln Town Car is Titanic-Ice. But if you ask Gary Grabarcyzk, it looks more like a greyish-blue, “a bit like the color of my eyes,” he says with a light chuckle. For this Milwaukee native, the color of those eyes has been the least of his worries since he retired two years ago.
You see, the former United States postal worker has experienced torn retinas in both eyes, requiring major surgery, not to mention two heart attacks all in the last 12 months. “I’ve said to myself many times this year: ‘I’ve had it’” referring to the struggles he’s endured with his health. His doctors have put tight limits on many of his favorite activities…“they keep telling me you can’t do this or that…you can’t lift that…”
Yet despite it all, his unfailing sense of humor and love of life persist. Much of that comes from working on his Town Car. Because his all-American ride is more than just a vehicle, it’s also a source of therapy and joy. “I love working on my car,” he says adding he gets a tremendous sense of satisfaction from tweaking under that hood.
However, Grabarcyzk knows working on his Titanic-Ice Town Car means his hands will inevitably get dirty and greasy. But that all changed when Grabarcyzk saw an advertisement for Workman’s Friend Barrier Skin Cream on Facebook a few months ago. “It said to fill out the form to get a free trial…..so I did.”
One afternoon, after receiving the sample sachet in the mail, he applied the skin cream before working on his car to test how much easier it made cleaning his hands afterwards. “I noticed quite quickly how it (Workman’s Friend) got the grease and dirt off, better than my usual soap and water.”
Grabarcyzk then tested our cream with another one of his hobbies: eating, more specifically a Wisconsin delicacy, smoked fish. “I love eating smoked chubs. But they always leave your hands oily and smelly.” So, he applied a thin layer of Workman’s Friend and let the cream absorb before eating this traditional smoked fish. To his surprise the lingering smell after handling the seafood was gone. “I used to have to rub lemons over my hands to get rid of the stink.” Workman’s Friend quickly put an end to that practice.
In fact, Grabarcyzk was so impressed with Workman’s Friend that he told his two brothers and two sisters about his discovery. “I said to them that they should get out there and buy some of this stuff because it really works.”
The Milwaukeean has also discovered that our Barrier Skin Cream is a fantastic stand-alone moisturizer. “It’s been great at softening the rough skin on my elbows,” commenting that he feels it adds elasticity to his skin. “It’s a really good hand lotion”.
Another element that is ‘really good’ is this 65-year old’s long term outlook. When asked what he predicts will happen in the next six months his answer is simple, “stuff has to turn around.” It is that positive attitude which has allowed him to persevere through these past few months and will support him as he moves forward.
So the next time you’re in the Milwaukee area and you spot a Titanic-Ice Town Car, take a good look. Ask yourself, “Are his eyes really the same color as his car?”
