Hi: My father died of mesothelinoma on August 22, 1984. He was one of the first people to take on the companies like Mansville, Owens-Corning that poisoned so many people from the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the Twin Towers. He was an Ironworker. I was V.P. of the White Lung Assoc. after my fathers death, we lobbied up in Albany, New York to stop and also pay all who had gotten sick with any type of asbestos related illness. The bill passed in July 86.
My father went to court so sick, he lived I believe almost 2.5 years after his first operation to take out the asbestos then was told what he had. Since 1979, he was told he had TB. In court very very ill and on morphine, the creeps tried to screw with his head on facts, companies etc. and he basically told them where the dog died. I still have the transcripts. He proved that all the companies involved were at fault and knew all the time. As you know asbestos goes all the way back to the time of the bible, it was called the firecloth as women weaved clothes etc. to stay warm. I had a lot of pride for what my father did for so many. He won, but he never knew as he passed away before the verdict. He was in many papers in New York sitting with my nieces. He fought a hard battle. We had to take my mother's house out off her and my father's name as hospital bills went over a million dollars for care and surgeries.
I tried to put signs up all over JFK Airport where I worked for Pan American A/L's and was told I would be fired if I continued. He did a great thing. I do know that many of the buildings he built there are still up and people work in them. I also know that many of my workers at Pan Am has gotten sick from one form of asbestos or another. I understand there is a class action suit, but I, my husband nor my best friend got tested nor cared too. I have lung problems, I smoke too, but if I do wind up with some type of asbestos cancer, we all know there is no cure.
I respect my father as you had to see the pain and how he looked fighting in court or when he was picked up by a limo who his lawyers provided as transporation for him to get to court. Yes he got compensation, yet as comp goes it was paid back after my mother got her settlement.
No one to this day takes this seriously, at least the Government or the companies don't as they still use it. Well it has been another 25 years or so since my father passed away, so I presume the amount of commercials I see on television are for all the people my age or there abouts, I am 59. The timing is about accurate. So I do not know and take this in the right way, but I hope you really care about this and are not just getting fed names via this site. Not that that is a bad thing, but it is rather underhanded. Yes the person who is sick needs the lawyer, but let them choose it.
Not yet 6 months after my father passed away one of my best friends a mechanic at Pan Am got the same illness as my father. I spoke to them, told them where to go, they had 2 little kids, yet did not believe me as much as I tried to convince them to get a lawyer to protect your family down the road. They did, what sad story, and he lost out on his right for his wife to get a lawyer due to the lapse in time from diagnosis and advising the correct people.
Death is terrible for anyone to see. We watched my father die, and at that point it was too late for him yet he became the poster man so to speak as he did not want others to get sick. I still have all of the phamphelts. It was not a big enough deal I suppose at the time for people to care let alone now about it. I often wonder how many people were told they died of lung cancer and had asbestos cancer as it was never looked for. In that, my friends who I do not know, I will end my little story of a very very Big man...julia
Julia