Category: Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma Awareness Day Draws Mesothelioma Community Closer Together
For many people, Labor Day marks the end of summer, although the official end is not until September 21st. Life returns to its hectic pace with school, work, appointments, etc. For the mesothelioma community, however, September is the month to recognize National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. This year it is Saturday, September 26th.
This past week, I had the good fortune of meeting a patient who had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer – 9 ½ years ago. When she was diagnosed, she was told that she had six months to live. She was a non-smoker and could not understand why this was happening to her. She was in shock. She walked out of the appointment with her doctor and said that was not going to happen. She never went back to that doctor. Instead, she referred herself to a large teaching hospital that specializes in oncology.
When she told her story to her new oncologist, he pointed up to the sky to a higher power, and to her head, indicating the power of positive thinking, and said, “It is up to you – no one has a crystal ball – let’s see what happens.”
Her oncologist pointed her to clinical trials and offered a variety of treatments. And she has benefitted greatly from many treatments and medications that are now available as the result of successful clinical trials. It has not been easy, complications have left her with other medical problems, she undergoes dialysis twice a week, frequent blood tests, frequent doctor’s appointments. But, she has lived to witness many life events and family milestones that she never thought she would – graduations, weddings, grandchildren.
One thing that she does every year, at the request of her oncologist, is to speak to researchers- she puts a face to all their work. Her successful fight, because of their research, long ago put six months in the rear view mirror.
Although this patient has lung cancer, we have mesothelioma survivors who continue to battle the disease and are living well after their six month sentence has been in their rear view mirror. Like my recent patient, they sought out clinical trials, became involved in learning all they could about their disease, and kept living. Mesothelioma does not define them.
As I was thinking of this patient, it occurred to me that this is why Mesothelioma Awareness Day is so important. Having a community to support mesothelioma patients and family members through this journey with mesothelioma, sharing the progress being made with research, celebrating the success, and acknowledging the disappointments, sharing the stories of survival are all some of the purposes of the day.
On September 26th, remember all who continue to battle this aggressive cancer, all who have lost their battle, and their families, as we all pray for progress to a cure.
If you have any questions about any aspect of your mesothelioma care, please email me at [email protected].
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
Special Counsel Blasts VA Over Whistleblower Treatment
Many of the recent stories about Department of Veteran Affairs mistreatment of veterans have come to light thanks to whistleblowers who revealed VA practices such as the scandal over dangerous delays in patient care. In response to the scandal, legislation was passed that made it easier to fire underperforming VA administrators. But in a letter (https://archive.azcentral.com/persistent/icimages/politics/0918-letter-to-obama.pdf) to President Obama from the U.S. Office on Special Counsel (OSC), OSC points out instances of the VA punishing whistleblowers while failing to discipline VA leadership.
The September 17th OSC letter begins by describing the treatment of Dr. Katherine Mitchell, a VA doctor in Phoenix who revealed that none of the emergency department (ED) nurses at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center had received nationally-recognized, comprehensive triage training and that only 11 of 31 ED nurses had received any triage training whatsoever. Mitchell tied this lack of training to more than 100 specific instances where improper nurse training led to “dangerous delays in care”—an assertion substantiated by the VA’s Office of the Medical Inspector, which found that lapses in ED triage “constitute a significant risk to public health and safety.”
Mitchell, though, rather than being supported by senior VA staff, was “investigated, transferred, and harassed,” reports AZCentral (https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2015/09/17/va-failure-protect-whistleblowers-draws-strong-rebuke-special-counsel/72362888/), while staff leaders went undisciplined.
“I am concerned by the VA’s decision to take no disciplinary action against responsible officials,” writes the OSC. “The lack of accountability for Haden VAMC leaders sends the wrong message to the veterans served by this facility.”
Such lack of action, asserts the OSC, may discourage whistleblowers from coming forward in the future. It also, says OSC, stands in stark contrast to the treatment of VA whistleblowers who “The VA has attempted to fire or suspend for minor indiscretions,” a trend that, “chills other employees from stepping forward to report concerns.”
OSC goes on to describe in its letter to the President other instances of VA misconduct that resulted in no significant leadership discipline, including:
- Falsification of veteran counseling session records by the manager of a VA clinic in Washington State
- Improper monitoring of an OMI investigation of patient care problems by a manager at a West Virginia VAMC
- Inaccurate recording of patient information by a Montgomery, Alabama VA physician
OSC compares these cases with several instances of whistleblowers being fired for minor infractions that include eating expired sandwiches.
The VA Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014—passed in response to the scandal that broke last summer over the patient wait-time crisis at more than 100 VA hospitals—made it easier for the VA to fire or demote senior VA employees. It was revealed this spring, however, that just one person was had been fired in connection with the scandal.
More recently, the Veterans Accountability Act of 2015, which supporters say gives greater protection to whistleblowers, passed the House and is currently being debated in the senate. The Act includes disciplinary provisions for mangers who retaliate against employees, according to an opinion piece published in The Hill (http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/235504-boxer-introduces-her-own-chemical-reform-legislation).
Maintenance Worker Blows Whistle on Asbestos Exposure
An earlier letter issued by OSC to the President details how a maintenance worker at a San Antonio VAMC blew the whistle on unsafe asbestos work that exposed him and others to the carcinogenic mineral fiber.
As the letter details, the San Antonio VAMC management “violated procedures governing the safe handling of asbestos-containing materials and failed to provide medical surveillance for employees exposed to asbestos, endangering their health in safety.” Management, for example, knowingly ordered employees to perform maintenance work on asbestos materials without providing appropriate precautions or safety equipment.
Radiographic examination of the whistleblower has revealed chest abnormalities consistent with exposure to asbestos, which can causemesothelioma and lung cancer.
Belluck & Fox, LLP Helps Veterans
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I’m Proud to Support the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation
Eight months after my Dad’s diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma, my family held its first fundraiser to benefit the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. They helped us so much, we felt it imperative to do what we could to say thank you. Dad was intensely involved with the planning and execution of the basket raffle that we held at our hometown’s yearly event, Dunbar Community Fest. He was sort of the ambassador that day, chatting with everyone who passed by and updating them on his progress and why we were there. He was proud to help.
Even after Dad’s passing in October of 2013, my family continues to support The Meso Foundation however we can. Working with them is an amazing way to give back and to honor the memory of my selfless father who always went above and beyond to help others. Working with others in our fundraising community inspires me. I see so many working together toward a common goal of eradicating this disease and spreading awareness and hope.
I have gotten to know amazing individuals through The Meso Foundation. We are reluctant members of a group of people who have been touched by mesothelioma in some way. Though unfortunate, we choose to rise above it and do everything possible to spare anyone else from the pain we have endured.
I am proud to be a member of The Meso Foundation’s Rising Leaders Council. We are an assembly of young people dedicated to raising funds and awareness, advocating on behalf of those still battling, those who have lost their fight with mesothelioma, and those who love them.
When entering into his clinical trial a little over two years ago, Dad told me that even though it might not help him, it may be able to help someone else. Mesothelioma took my father from me, but it did not take away his legacy of love and compassion for others. When I feel like I’m too busy to help or if it seems like it’s too much to take on, I remember him and all that he was. He pushes me to continue this endeavor.
Please consider joining me and so many others in this fight. For more information, contact the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation and visit their website at www.curemeso.org.
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
Study Shows That Asbestos Risks Remain Decades After Industry Departs
An Italian study published back in May found that malignant mesothelioma cases tend to be concentrated around industrial facilities that use asbestos. A new Italian study finds that mesothelioma incidence near industrial areas remains high long after an asbestos-using industry ceases operations.
Asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma, an incurable cancer affecting the membranous lining of the lungs and abdomen. Most cases of mesothelioma are related to occupational asbestos exposure. Cement factories, shipyards, automotive plants, food processing facilities, power plants, and steel plants are among the major sources of occupational asbestos exposure.
Not all asbestos exposure, however, is directly attributable to a person’s work activities. People can also be environmentally exposed to asbestos in areas where asbestos industries operate.
One such area is Casale Monferrato in Northwest Italy, the former home of the Eternit asbestos-cement plant, which closed in 1986. An Italian court in 2012 convicted the plant’s owners of causing the asbestos-related deaths of more than 3,000 people. While many of those people worked at the Eternit plant, others merely lived near the plant.
Casale Montferro is the subject of a study published recently in Occupational & Environmental Medicine. The study authors identified 200 cases of pleural mesothelioma diagnosed in Casale Montferro residents between 2001 and 2006 in an effort to quantify the association between pleural mesothelioma and asbestos exposure.
They discovered that the odds ratio (OR, a measure of association between an exposure and an outcome) of an asbestos-exposed individual developing mesothelioma ranged from 4.4 to 62.1, with increased exposure over time resulting in a higher OR. Subjects never occupationally exposed to asbestos had a mesothelioma OR of 3.8 to 23.3, while an OR of around 2 was observed for people living in homes near buildings with large asbestos cement parts.
The findings draw attention to the fact that asbestos health risks linger in the environment long after asbestos industries vacate. In addition, they serve as a reminder that asbestos disease can occur in people who never directly handled asbestos on the job.
“Risk of [pleural malignant mesothelioma] increased with cumulative asbestos exposure and also in analyses limited to subjects non-occupationally exposed. Our results also provide indication of risk associated with common sources of environmental exposure and are highly relevant for the evaluation of residual risk after the cessation of asbestos industrial use,” write the study authors.
The Italian study has implications for America and other countries with a history of industrial asbestos use. U.S. asbestos use peaked in the mid-70s, but asbestos diseases, which have a latency period of 10-40 years or more, continue to kill an estimated 12,000-15,000 Americans.
But the United States, unlike Italy, has not banned asbestos. While both countries deal with the residual presence of asbestos-containing materials from a bygone industrial era, the United States is unique among industrialized nation for its ongoing importation and use of asbestos.
Anyone interested in taking part in the fight against asbestos should visit the EWG Action Fund website.
Mesothelioma Nurse Explains The Need for a Caregiving Team
Having mesothelioma can be devastating and overwhelming. It makes your mind and your loved ones’ minds spin. There are a thousand questions you have, both answered and unanswered. I have answered many of these questions, but over the years I have asked my share of questions as well. One of the most important things I have learned from the patients and their families, is that a strong care team is vital to recovery.
I have watched each case, and I have noted what seems to work and what doesn’t always work. I would say that having a strong support system is definitely key to easing the stress of the mesothelioma patient. You should not only designate a primary caregiver, but you should also select other friends and family members who can serve as backup.
You may think that you and your significant other can handle what comes along with mesothelioma, but that is not always the case. Things can go wrong, or at least not work out exactly how you figured they would. It happens more times than not. If possible, you should have people around you who are committed to helping you with all of your loved one’s healthcare needs.
Who can be there for you at the drop of a hat if you need a ride to a chemotherapy appointment, or if you need to see a doctor when you are not feeling well? In the best possible situation, you could have three to four people who have a flexible schedule and are able to commit to being available with little notice.
Recently a middle-aged patient and his wife came in for treatment. Unfortunately, things have not gone according to plan. The patient’s stay in the hospital has been extended, and feels like forever to his wife. This unexpected development has left her frightened, alone, and far from any other support system that she has. Her reactions have taken a toll on her husband’s emotional well being, and have challenged the medical professions who are caring for him.
Her fear and frustration have become crippling to her. She is the primary support for her husband, but she has little, if any, support for herself.
It is ok to be the caregiver and to acknowledge the need of time for yourself. There are support staff within any large medical institution who can offer you support. They can be helpful and are great sounding boards, are non-judgmental and they can see your unique situation from a different perspective.
After a rough few days the wife agreed to call her sister to come and help her, taking all of the responsibility off her shoulders, and sharing it. A true sign that strength is in numbers!
If you have any questions about any aspect of your mesothelioma care, please email me at [email protected].
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
Free Mesothelioma Patient & Treatment Guide
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It contains a wealth of information and resources to help you better understand the condition, choose (and afford) appropriate treatment, and exercise your legal right to compensation.
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