Thursday, October 7, 2010

Mesothelioma and Me

A few people asked me why I was posting stuff about Mesothelioma...well let me explain a little.

First a little backstory on what Mesothelioma is:

A rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of the body's internal organs, the mesothelium. It is usually caused by exposure to asbestos.

Now my Grandfather contracted this horrible disease from his years of working around asbestos.

He was also a smoker which greatly increased his risk of getting the disease. For years doctors weren't aware that my Grandfather even had mesothelioma. They concluded his wheezing and cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue were due to either old age or from his years of smoking. But he slowly got worse....much worse in fact.

My Grandfather passed away only a few years ago, 6 months after he visited his seventh doctor. This seventh doctor was smart enough to not dismiss my grandfathers symptoms and he dug deeper. He decided it would be best to give him a chest x-ray and some lung function tests. He also concluded that a CAT scan and MRI should be done. He diagnosed my grandfather with Mesothelioma that same month.

See while my grandfather was working around asbestos the precautions his employers didnt include the necessary things to avoid constant exposure.

After me laid my Grandfather to rest we had a lawyer read to us his last will and testament. It was during this time that the Lawyer mentioned that we may have a case against my grandfathers former employers AND the six other doctors who were too lazy to properly diagnose him which could possibly have led us to cure him.

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