Posts Tagged Asbestos
Mesothelioma: Warren Zevon Remembered by David Letterman
Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Mesothelioma, Support on September 4, 2008
Mesothelioma Awareness day is just a few weeks away and on September 26th we encourage everyone to spread awareness about the disease. Awhile back I wrote about how Jordan Zevon has a radio campaign designed to bring awareness to mesothelioma. His father, beloved musician Warren Zevon, died on September 7, 2003 due to mesothelioma.
For those who are not familiar with Zevon’s music, he brought us such hits as “Lawyers, Guns and Money” and “Werewolves of London.” Rolling Stone magazine described Zevon as, “literate, satiric, violence-obsessed, funny as hell, piano-pounding, equally capable of deranged rock-outs and beautifully sustained melodies.”
Legendary late night talk show host David Letterman was a good friend of Zevon and he recalls his last meeting with Zevon in a recent interview with Rolling Stone Magazine. “Here’s a guy who had months to live and we’re making small talk. And as we’re talking, he’s taking his guitar strap and hooking it, wrapping it around, then he puts the guitar into the case and he flips the snaps on the case and says, ‘Here, I want you to have this, take good care of it.’ And I just started sobbing.”
There are two great ways for you to get involved from now until September 26th. First, we encourage people to contact their local radio stations and request Warren Zevon’s music, which will be followed by a 20 second segment where Jordan Zevon speaks out about mesothelioma. Secondly, individuals can help by contacting their local government officials to declare September 26th as Meso Awareness Day in their areas.
Asbestos is a harmful material known to cause mesothelioma and lung cancer.
28 Year Old Woman Dies from Mesothelioma
Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Mesothelioma on September 3, 2008
Leigh Carlisle, 28, became England’s youngest victim of mesothelioma when she died recently after a two year battle with the disease. It is believed that Leigh was exposed to and inhaled asbestos fibers as a child during school. Leigh’s lawyers have requested a freedom of information request about the buildings where Leigh was taught. It is also a possibility that Leigh breathed in deadly fibers as she walked passed a factory yard, where asbestos sheets were cut up, on her way to school.
In an interview last year, recalling her devastation at being diagnosed, she said, “I was 26 and thought I was invincible and it was the last thing I expected them to tell me. I only walked through the factory yard as a short cut to my class. I used to walk there with my cousins, auntie and mother. Thankfully they are all fine. It was the worst feeling in the world. I have taken a positive approach and I’m just getting on with my life as best I can.”
At the time of her death Leigh was trying to raise awareness about her condition. She battled with the illness for 18 months but died at North Manchester Hospital General Hospital last week with her boyfriend by her side. Michael Price, Leigh’s boyfriend said, “Leigh had so much courage and strength. She was an inspiration to me and to others.” Her parents, Sheila and Mark, sister Sarah and niece Bella, also added that, “Leigh is still very much a part of our family and always a treasured daughter, sister and auntie. Everyone is so proud of her.”
Learn more about mesothelioma news.
About 2,000 people die from mesothelioma in England each year. It is also believed that 90,000 more people in England will die from the disease and that a further 90,000 will die from other lung diseases related to asbestos exposure. About 200 schools workers have died or are suffering serious illness because of asbestos in schools and it is estimated about 13,000 schools still contain asbestos.
For Full Article, Click Here
Colorado Man Files Asbestos Lawsuit on Behalf of Father
Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Exposure, Legal on September 2, 2008
Steven Dux, of Colorado, has filed an asbestos lawsuit against 13 companies on behalf of his father. Dux claims that the mesothelioma his father, Andres Martinez, was diagnosed with was wrongfully caused. Martinez was diagnosed with the disease on March 14, 2007, and died November 6, 2007.
The suit claims that from 1952 to 1990, while Martinez worked as a laborer and heavy equipment operator at various locations, he was exposed to and inhaled asbestos fibers. Moreover, the suit claims that Martinez’s exposure was foreseeable and should have been anticipated by the defendants.
Due to the asbestos exposure, Dux alleges that his father became disabled and disfigured, which required him to spend large amounts of money for medical, hospital, and other health services necessary to treat the disease. As a result of his mesothelioma, Martinez experienced great physical pain and mental agony. Furthermore, the disease hindered and prevented Martinez from pursuing employment and as a result he lost large sums of money.
Dux is seeking sums in excess of $50,000 and compensatory damages in excess of $100,000. He is also seeking a large amount of punitive damages to punish the defendants for their wrongdoing in an attempt to discourage similar parties from committing comparable acts of misconduct in the future.
Hope: survival after mesothelioma
Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Mesothelioma, Support on August 27, 2008
“Dying was not an option,” says Heather Von St. James of Minnesota, who has defied the odds and conquered mesothelioma.
She was diagnosed with the disease nearly three years ago now; Heather believes she was exposed as a child to the asbestos in her father’s work clothes. Now, two and a half years after undergoing radical treatment, Heather remains disease-free.
Heather had been experiencing health problems and shortness of breath, but had chalked it up to her first-time pregnancy. When she couldn’t ignore the weight in her chest any longer, she consulted her doctors. Three months after giving birth to her daughter Lily, doctors in Minnesota found a lump in Heather’s lung the size of an orange. She was given three options: do nothing and live maybe 15 months, try chemotherapy and radiation and live an expected 5 years, or go see Dr. Sugarbaker in Boston.
Heather’s husband made the decision immediately, and the family moved to Boston to begin treatment with the head of the International Mesothelioma Program at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Sugarbaker performed surgery to remove Heather’s left lung, the lining around her heart, half of her diaphragm, her sixth rib and a few lymph nodes. The cancer has not returned and Dr. Sugarbaker is calling Heather a shining example of the progress he is beginning to see in the fight against a disease that traditionally carried a maximum survival of 12 to 18 months.
“I claim cured,” Heather says.
She underwent surgery on Feb. 2, 2006, was in the hospital for 18 days and stayed in Boston for a month. When Heather left Boston, she moved in with her parents for two months. In May, she returned home and began chemotherapy — every three weeks for 12 weeks. Now, she returns to Boston every four months for a CT scan; so far, so good.
In 2006, Heather filed suit against her father’s employers and asbestos manufacturers. The trial was set for September, but was suspended. Heather and her attorney filed an appeal and are waiting for the results. In the meantime, Heather has focused on caring for Lily and maintaining proper health.
“I’m going to be the first meso patient to live 50-plus years. I told my doctor he would retire before I did,” Heather said. “And he’s OK with that.”
To read Heather’s full story, click here.
Learn more about mesothelioma support.
Mesothelioma Among Lingering Ailments from September 11th Attacks
Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Exposure, Mesothelioma on August 25, 2008
As the seven-year anniversary of the September 11 World Trade Center attacks approaches, studies are showing that for many of those who aided in rescue and recovery efforts, physical and psychological ailments continue to be a problem.
One of the biggest question marks surrounding the lingering ailments is the effect of the dust-laden air surrounding the collapse of the WTC towers. “What was in the air that day? Pretty much everything that had been in two 100-story buildings–but in vaporized form,” says Mike Magee, M.D.
Magee goes on to say “The problem is that it is possible we were not measuring the right things at the time. For example, we are now learning the dangers of nanotubes, micro-miniaturized rolled up sheets of carbon that may be of future use in electronics. A study revealed that mice exposed to the substance responded with cancer development in the same way as when exposed to asbestos, a harmful substance known to cause mesothelioma and lung cancer. There were no nanotubes in the Twin Towers, and asbestos measures at the time were supposed to be OK. But what about all the other vaporized computers, electronics and building materials we’d never expect to be in our air under normal circumstances?”
The full scope of physical and psychological problems stemming from the September 11 attacks may not be known for many years and there are certainly many challenges that lie ahead. Experts predict that it’s likely we will see problems surrounding 9/11-related illnesses for years to come and that thousands of these individuals will likely need lifelong care.
Learn more about the causes of mesothelioma.
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