Month: February 2014

Jobs on Navy Ships that Put Veterans at Risk of Mesothelioma

• Nancy Meredith
• Featured News

Veterans who worked on Navy ships often worked directly or indirectly with asbestos and are at a greater risk of developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Although there are many different jobs that exposed Navy veterans to asbestos, these seven jobs on Navy ships put veterans at a very high risk of developing mesothelioma:

1. Boilermen. Boilermen, also referred to as boiler tenders, boilermakers, boiler technicians and boiler repairmen, operated, repaired and maintained the powerful steam boilers that propelled US Navy vessels. These men and women were exposed to the dangerous fibers through the widespread use of asbestos in boiler rooms in valves and valves on ships.
2. Engine Mechanic. Engine mechanics were generally responsible for the operation, maintenance and upkeep of numerous types of equipment, such as engines and turbines, anchor equipment and pumps. This equipment used asbestos – and released deadly fibers when repairs had to be made.
3. Maintenance Mechanic. Maintenance mechanics repaired a wide range of machinery aboard ships, including pumps and valves. Their duties generally required them to handle and remove asbestos gaskets, and packing from equipment. Once asbestos is broken, it releases fibers that, when inhaled, cause those who breathe the fibers to have a greater chance of developing mesothelioma.
4. Shipfitter / Pipefitter / Steamfitter. Shipfitters, pipefitters and steamfitters, maintaining the structural integrity of the hull and the deck, connect pipes to equipment and help repair machinery. Shipfitters’ duties often included cutting, shaping and replacing asbestos packing and gaskets. Pipefitters and steamfitters also installed and repaired pipe systems for propulsion, electric power and temperature control. They also often handled gaskets, seals and insulation laced with asbestos.
5. Hull Technician. Hull technicians are responsible for numerous tasks, including:

• installing, maintaining and repairing valves, piping, plumbing system fittings and fixtures
• pipe cutting, threading and assembly
• repairing installed ventilation ducting
• installing and repairing insulation and lagging
• operating marine sanitation systems

Hull technicians were also exposed to asbestos in insulation materials, packing, electrical seals and pipe gaskets.

All of the above jobs exposed veterans to asbestos in one way or another and are only some of the many jobs that exposed millions of civilian workers and veterans to asbestos. For questions, check out our FAQ page.

Holding Manufacturers, Distributors & Sellers Responsible

Asbestos manufacturers, distributors and sellers knew that asbestos products increased the risk of contracting mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. However, they failed to warn civilian workers and veterans about the known dangers of asbestos – thereby preventing them from protecting themselves by wearing respiratory protection.

Every manufacturer has a legal duty to warn of their products’ known dangers. When they don’t, they can and should be held responsible for their actions.

Navy veterans, civilians and their families may have a claim against asbestos manufacturers – even if exposure to asbestos occurred 50 or more years ago. The statute of limitations for filing most asbestos lawsuits isn’t triggered until you discover that you’ve been injured such as when you receive a diagnosis of mesothelioma.

Anyone who has been injured is encouraged to contact an experienced mesothelioma injury attorney who understands this debilitating and deadly disease and knows how Navy veterans and civilians were exposed.

Daughter Encourages Her Father, and Other Mesothelioma Patients, to Be Open to Help from Others

• Joseph Belluck
• Caregiver Stories

My father has been through seven months of treatment for his pleural mesothelioma: surgery, rehabilitation, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy; but now he is back to living life as normal as possible. He has returned to work and this helps him find normalcy again, for he has always been a very hard worker and does not like to be idle.

His work requires him to walk around a lot in a large warehouse. This is both good and bad. It’s good that he is getting exercise to help his lungs become stronger, but he does have to take frequent breaks and sometimes use his oxygen in his office. Besides returning to work, he also does his daily, routine work around the house, such as taking care of the pool, trimming back trees, moving and stacking firewood for the woodstove, and decorating for Christmas – there really isn’t much he has stopped doing since his diagnosis.

It is so great to see my dad back to his old self, but I have to remind him sometimes to ask for help. He’s a man of action and wants to get things done, so he takes a lot on himself. Just over Thanksgiving, while I was home visiting for the holiday, he was getting dressed to go outside to bring in firewood. I said to him, “Dad, I hope you’re not going to the back of the yard alone to get a load of firewood.” His shocked response to me was, “Well yeah, why not?”

I rounded up my two brothers and we walked behind his pickup truck to help. When we got to the back of the yard, he attempted to load up the firewood to fill the bed of the truck. Well, within a few minutes he was huffing and puffing and had to take a break. I said to him, “Dad, we’re here, and we can do it. You watch.” I could see him struggle to take a step back and accept our help, but he listened, and my brothers and I were very happy to help.

While he was in the hospital recovering from his extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery, I wrote him a letter to encourage him and to let him know what I was feeling. One thing that I asked him to do was to please open up to us and accept help from others – he is one that never asks for help and he takes care of everyone else before himself.

I wrote:  “I have found out recently that talking about your feelings and anxieties and accepting help from others makes you feel so much better and it does not make you seem weak. It brings you closer to people. Who knows though, maybe you will return to your complete normal life, but please know that we are here for anything that you need, even if it is just making you a grilled cheese sandwich.”

My message and advice to other mesothelioma patients is to accept help and to not feel ashamed about it. Your friends and family want to help you – they don’t want to see you struggle. Like I said to my dad, it does not show that you are weak when you accept help, rather it brings you closer to the people who love you.

Mesothelioma Widow Adjusts to New Routine

• Joseph Belluck
• Faces of Mesothelioma, Uncategorized

Day-to-day life has changed greatly for my whole family since Dad passed away, but no one’s more so than Mom’s. She and Dad spent all of their time together and she has had to adjust to not having him always there.

Every morning, my parents sat and had coffee. Now, Mom has a cup without him. They would go and run errands together – everything from going out to eat to going to the post office. Now, these are things that Mom has to do by herself.

Little things that Dad always took care of now fall to Mom. Dad always cut the grass, took out the garbage, fixed anything and everything that might need fixing. Thankfully, other people have been filling in to help out with a lot of these kinds of things, but it was still different when Dad would do them.

Mom has been spending a lot of time visiting us at our home, spending time with family and friends, and doing her best to enjoy her new retirement. But it’s still not the same. There will always be a void there that only Dad could fill.

I have mentioned many times how much I admire my Mom and how strong she is. She inspires me every day to do my best to handle every situation and challenge with grace. Please pray for her and for all who have lost a loved one. Every one of us needs your prayers.

Father/Daughter Forge Strong Bond Over Mesothelioma Care

• Nancy Meredith
• For Your Family

When Amanda headed off to college she knew she wanted to dedicate her career to helping children learn to read. Since completing her Master’s in Education, she has gotten satisfaction from watching the children in her classes slowly begin to enjoy reading and to gain confidence in themselves.

It is with this same nurturing and caring spirit that led Amanda to stay by her father’s side as he fights pleural mesothelioma. Although helping him battle cancer was not new, her father successfully fought melanoma nearly eight years ago, Amanda knew that fighting mesothelioma would be particularly challenging.

Her father chose to have his treatment under the care of mesothelioma specialists at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. The choice was not easy – he would have to leave his wife and sons behind. But with Amanda living in the Philadelphia area, there was no question that he would receive the love and care from her that would help him overcome even the most difficult treatments.

Amanda’s father had to remain in the hospital for six weeks, and she took the time to see him every day. During this time Amanda learned as much as she could about mesothelioma and worked closely with the medical team to ensure her father received the appropriate mesothelioma care. Her father learned that it is okay to lean on Amanda and to trust in her decisions. And through it all they created a bond that brought them closer than they had ever been.

Amanda will tell the story of how her father successfully battled one cancer to only be stricken with mesothelioma years later. She will provide readers information about how the diagnosis, treatment and management of mesothelioma affects an entire family, but through love and strength fighting the disease is a little easier.

Please join us in welcoming Amanda to MesotheliomaHelp.org as she offers articles about helping a family member battle and cope with mesothelioma, and how the disease can help bring a family together.

Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation Announces Annual Symposium

• Nancy Meredith
• For Your Family

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation has announced plans for its 11^th annual International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma. The Symposium, scheduled March 5-7 in Alexandria, VA, is an opportunity for the entire mesothelioma community, including patients, their families, caregivers and advocates, to come together to network and to learn the latest mesothelioma news.

For the first time, the Meso Foundation will sponsor a concurrent seminar for scientists and medical professionals only. The Mesothelioma Scientific Seminar is designed to “facilitate high level sharing of information, collaboration and learning” among mesothelioma specialists. These sessions will be for the scientific community only; however, many of these world-renowned mesothelioma physicians and researchers will be accessible to Symposium attendees.

The Symposium gives face-to-face time for people from so many backgrounds to discuss the reality of dealing with mesothelioma. Rare diseases, such as mesothelioma, are very isolating, and the symposium is an opportunity to get people together to let them know they are not alone in their journey. Attendees have the chance to network, meet with their government representatives, honor their loved ones and learn about what is going on in the field.

The list of speakers at the two-day event is the Who’s Who of mesothelioma experts from throughout the United States and Europe. Keynote speakers include Dean Fennell, PhD, University of Liecester; Michele Carbone, MD, PhD, University of Hawaii and Ira Pastan, MD, National Cancer Institute. Other speakers are Dr. Lee Krug, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Robert Taub, Columbia Presbytarian, Anne Tsao, MD, MD Anderson Cancer Center and Hedy Lee Kindler, MD, University of Chicago. All of these speakers have dedicated their careers to improving the lives of mesothelioma patients.

During the event, the Meso Foundation will also present various awards to leaders in the field. Michele Carbone, MD, PhD, University of Hawaii, will be presented with the 2014 Pioneer Award which honors individuals “pioneering” scientific advances in the field of mesothelioma, with the goal of eradicating the life-ending and vicious effects of mesothelioma. Carbone, one of the world’s leading authority on mesothelioma, is credited with significant breakthroughs including determining that the BAP1 gene, which is involved in tumor suppression, might underlie mesothelioma in people with a strong family history of the disease.

“He [Carbone] has been a leader in the field of mesothelioma research, and every one of his many contributions brings us that many steps closer to life-saving treatments for mesothelioma patients,” said Mary Hesdorffer, NP, Meso Foundation’s executive director upon announcing the award.

http://blog.curemeso.org/meso-foundation-congratulates-representative-betty-mccollums-efforts-advance-mesothelioma-research/

The Meso Foundation will also present the winner of the June Breit and Jocelyn Farrar Outstanding Nurse Award.

Mesothelioma is a rare, incurable form of cancer primarily caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers that is diagnosed in close to 3,000 Americans each year. Although mesothelioma can be treated with varying degrees of success with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, there is still no known cure for the disease. The prognosis for mesothelioma patients is an average survival time varying from 4 – 18 months after diagnosis.

The Meso Foundation is one of the leading organizations “dedicated to eradicating the life-ending and vicious effects of mesothelioma.” The Meso Foundation’s activities include funding mesothelioma research, providing education and support for patients and their families, and advocating for federal funding of mesothelioma research.

See the Meso Foundation’s website for more information and to register for the conference.

http://www.curemeso.org/site/c.duIWJfNQKiL8G/b.8578185/k.6D0E/Meso_Foundation_Symposium.htm