Posted on January 29, 2016

We have been touched by asbestos in individual ways, yet we are joined together by a bond of community. As a testament to the strength of our global family, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is highlighting the courageous stories of our members with the “Share Your Story” feature on our website.

This week, we would like to honor the story of Larry, who was a part of our ADAO family.

We encourage you to submit your personal stories by clicking here and following the simple instructions on the page. In sharing, comes healing. Remember, you are not alone.

Tragically, Larry lost his battle with mesothelioma in July 2012.

Larry’s Story

Name: Larry

Location: Florida

Date of Diagnosis: 06-JUL-2006

Diagnosis: Mesothelioma

Treatment: Both traditional & non-traditional ideas: maintain healthy eating habits, with a wheat germ all-natural drink, exercise daily and stay positive, plus surgery to remove tumors and a touch of chemo.

1945 – 2012

How has asbestos changed your life? Shared by himself (unedited)

Asbestos has literally flipped my world upside down. Never did I realize how harmful this so-called ‘miracle mineral’ would be. After 5 years of some of the worst pain I have ever felt, surgeries (almost too many to count) and extremely limited resources on how to stop this epidemic, I now advocate for other victims and research funding. I have spent the past few years talking to every politician who will listen, and some that won’t, asking them to ban the United States’ use of asbestos. It can still be found in everything from automotive parts to heating & cooling systems to construction to Military housing & building. Yes, we are no longer spreading asbestos in classrooms while the students sit there, but hundreds of unknowing people are exposed every day. As I await my next chemo session here at the University of Maryland Medical Center I continue to push others to work for relief from this deadly disease. I have signed numerous law firms to donate to my race the South Florida Miles for Meso, I have invited friends and physicians to help get out the word at my Health Symposium and I will not stop in my efforts. So you ask, ‘How has asbestos changed my life’? It is an entirely new life. Never could I have imaged the choices I would have to make, all the hospitals & doctors I would visit, the politicians I would beg to sign legislation against using this carcinogen, and the pain it would cause.

 

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