What do Merlin Olsen, Steve McQueen, admiral Elmo  Zumwalt, Jr,USN, Warren Zevon and the firefighters and heroes of 9/11 have in common with Mesothelioma Victim Larry Davis?  We all have the unenviable distinction of being exposed to deadly Asbestos fibers. After inhaling microscopic asbestos fiber which is the only known cause of Mesothelioma Cancer, it usually takes from 10 to 50 years before it is diagnosed. The life expectancy then becomes months and sometimes years of suffering. I am one of the lucky ones that has out lived my fatal diagnosis of six months to live. Merlin, Steve, Warren, and many others have not been as fortunate. Since the 1950’S asbestos has been known to be a killer and today after 100,000’s of deaths our Government still has not banned its use, nor meaningfully controlled the export and importation of Asbestos products in the USA. That puts the USA in a category with only a hand full of countries that have not Banned ASBESTOS.  The major exporters and manufactures of this deadly mineral for profit at the expense of human life are. CHINA, RUSSIA, Canada, and “Uncle Sam”, himself the USA.

This disease has changed my life in many ways. I first found that the Medical profession and Hospitals know very little about how to diagnose and treat Mesothelioma. My general internal medicine doctor had told me I had a hernia. If you are a women, usually the diagnosis is ovarian cancer and not until surgery is it determined that you have Mesothelioma.  There is very little effective treatment available for this orphan disease. Funding for research is almost nothing. There are however, two non-profits foundations that have taken on the task of improving treatments and supporting the rights of Mesothelioma patients. They are the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, that funds research for better treatments and believe in finding a cure and helping victims and families, the other is the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is an independent organization founded by Linda Reinstein and Doug Larkin on April 1, 2004. I have taken the fight to the streets with the www.southfloridamilesformeso.com Race/Run/Walk to raise asbestos awareness and Fund research for Mesothelioma Cancer.

Believe in a cure,

Larry Davis