2012 Asbestos Awareness Conference Family Tribute Form

Like thousands before and after him, JOE AMENTO’S LIFE WAS STOLEN FROM HIM. This ripped the hearts and souls out of our then 8 and 10 year-old children, as well as me in 2003 when Joe was only 53 years old. Ours was only one in about ten thousand families that year that suffered the senseless loss of a loved one through a deadly but preventable disease caused by a legal mineral called asbestos. How many more have died of mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases since 2003? Perhaps another 10,000? How many deaths will it take until they know that TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED?

Subsequent to Joe’s death I turned my grief and anger into action and became a volunteer with the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO).  ADAO and our volunteers spread the word about the dangers of asbestos, get the attention of our government to help asbestos victims and are determined to keep this deadly mineral untouched, in the ground. As Family Tribute Chair, I am asking you personally to help in ADAO’s great mission and donate a tribute page to memorialize a loved one who has lost the mesothelioma or asbestos disease battle. The tribute page could also honor a living family member who is presently battling asbestos-related disease.

FAMILY TRIBUTE PROGRAM

Asbestos: Impact on Public Health – this is the theme of ADAO’s 8th Annual Asbestos Awareness Conference in sunny Manhattan Beach (L.A.), California, March 30 – April 1, 2012. The Conference agenda Program will contain many facts about asbestos presented by professionals who work in the public health and asbestos awareness industries. The Program booklet also contains personal tributes to victims of asbestos disease donated by patients, families, caregiver and friends of victims. Please consider donating a full page Tribute to your asbestos victim perhaps by getting other relatives or friends to share and divide the cost. Please view our 2011 AAC Program Family Tributes.

WHAT ADAO DOES WITH YOUR DONATIONS?  

A Family Tribute page will not only will honor your loved one, but your generous donation will allow ADAO in our ongoing educational and advocacy efforts, which include:  

ADAO’S RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS  

The international Asbestos Awareness Conferences each year bring together renowned doctors, scientists, researchers and most importantly, asbestos victims and their families – in a united forum for asbestos awareness and collaboration. ADAO frequently represents victims before the U.S. Congress, other governmental bodies and the media, and maintains an extensive asbestos video library and resource center, which includes trilingual Early Detection, Prevention and High Risk Occupations materials. In addition, ADAO pioneered a highly successful consumer product testing campaign that unfortunately revealed asbestos in every day products, leading to the removal of popular children’s toys from retail shelves. ADAO is regularly summoned to present keynote speeches at professional conferences and educational events across the world, most recently in Turkey, India, Mexico and Canada.

HOW TO SUPPORT ADAO AND ESTEEM YOUR LOVED ONE  

Consider asking siblings, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, co-workers, neighbors, and friends to contribute a portion of $1000, perhaps $100 or $250, for a Full Tribute page in our 2012-conference program. Perhaps each person could write a short memory about the asbestos victim or a note to the victim, including pictures. The notes may be typed or handwritten – we’ll help you put the page together if needed. Payment and the Family Tribute Form are due no later than February 15, 2012. 

Thank you in advance for your Family Tribute honoring your loved one. If you have any questions or need help or ideas in putting your Tribute page together, please email me directly at, Marilyn@AsbestosDiseaseAwareness.org.  

In Unity and Hope, Marilyn Amento, ADAO Asbestos Conference Family Tribute Chair.