Mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the lining of the body cavities, the mesothelium. There are three major types of mesothelioma: pleural (lung cavity), peritoneal (abdominal cavity) and pericardial (heart cavity). Of the three, the most commonly diagnosed is pleural mesothelioma because the asbestos dust or fibers were inhaled and became lodged in the lungs. In the other forms, the fibers had to travel past the lungs and into other body areas before developing the cancer.
People who were exposed to asbestos in their early years develop symptoms for the disease as they are settling into their retirement years. At a time when they should be free of care for major illness and be enjoying their lives, people are finding out they have an incurable disease and may have endangered the lives of their loved ones. Jack Ellis is one such person and this is his story.
Life Before Mesothelioma
I worked as a teacher worked as a teacher in rural Pennsylvania. For 35 years I taught middle school level science and headed the local Boy Scouts chapter. During that time I married and had four daughters, each of whom attended the school where I taught. I loved the outdoors and was in my element when I was closest to nature. I shared that love of nature with my daughters and the boys I led in the Scouts. I retired from teaching at 57 years old and planned to spend time teaching my grandchildren about nature and camping.
Exposure
The school I worked in was heavily contaminated with asbestos as were the buses I traveled on for Boy Scouts camping trips. I may also have been exposed to asbestos at home because my house was fireproofed with asbestos lining and many of the pipes and tiles included asbestos at the time my home was built. My mesothelioma exposure was entirely indirect. I never worked with the material or even made repairs to my home which would expose me to the dust. During my years as a teacher I was repeatedly exposed to asbestos during routine maintenance on the school building and buses, even in the paint on the walls. I (along with countless students, teachers and staff) was exposed to the deadly dust for years on end.
Diagnosis
About three years after retiring I found that I ran out of breath quite easily, sometimes from doing nothing at all. I would be resting, reading or watching television and would suddenly have heart palpitations and extreme shortness of breath. After about six months of these random experiences, I began to experience pain in my chest which made me take a visit to the doctor.
After a few tests the doctor found nothing wrong with me physically aside from slightly elevated blood pressure which could be attributed to stress. There was nothing to suspect other than that my body was aging and adjusting to the changes. Another six months passed before I sought the doctor’s advice again. The pain and shortness of breath episodes had increased to almost daily occurrences.
I often felt as though there was a weight on my chest and I had begun to lose a significant amount of weight. The doctor ran some tests on my heart and lung function but still found little of significance. There was the possibility of fluid in my lungs which the doctor noted in an x-ray. Given the presence of the fluid, the doctor decided to run tests to see what the cause of the build up was.
A battery of tests was run, including one that looked at the growth and development of the cells in the fluid. Some of the cells appeared to be cancerous and the doctor wanted to discuss further testing and health history with me. After discussing my great health throughout my life and my vigor until the past year, the doctor found little to suggest an outward cause for the cancerous cells.
The tests turned up some startling results, I had developed pleural mesothelioma, and the prognosis was that I would live no more than 18 months. The doctor explained all the information he knew about the disease and its cause, asbestos. Since there was no direct contact with the substance in my life, I contacted the school he worked for and found that there was a significant amount of asbestos exposure due to my lengthy career as a teacher.
Legal Matters
One very important aspect I discussed with my doctor was the legal ramifications of my diagnosis. A number of people in the area had reported contracting the fatal disease and few of them lived to see the year following diagnosis. Because of this, and the statute of limitations on filing a mesothelioma lawsuit, most of them had immediately filed claims and won settlements and medical care coverage.
It was suggested that I sue the makers of the materials that were used in the school where I was exposed. The team of lawyers was able to get the names of the companies that produced and distributed the insulation, paint and plumbing supplies.
It turned out that the company that handled these things had already been found guilty of negligence, product liability and fraud (for covering up the dangers of asbestos). They were able to settle out of court before the jury for the case was even selected. I was awarded nearly a million dollars in economic damages and over 2 million in damages for pain and suffering for himself and his family.
Treatment
During the course of the settlement and following it, I entered treatment at a regional cancer treatment center. It was located hours away and he had to stay at the center for the duration of the treatment. The cancer was quite widespread so I was unable to undergo surgery to remove any part of the affected mesothelium. |
