The following videos are from Zevon’s last appearance on the David Letterman show in October 2002, where he was the only guest for the program, a tribute to his life and work. During the interview with Letterman, Zevon quipped that facing death had taught him to “enjoy every sandwich,” a reminder to savor each moment of life.

These videos provide a wonderful portrait of this talented musician. He is greatly missed.

Warren Zevon’s son, Jordan, also a talented musician, is an active advocate for mesothelioma and asbestos disease awareness, and spokesperson for the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization.

SOURCE: myMeso › Remembering Warren Zevon, 1947-2003

Based on the idea of “living your childhood dreams,” the lecture is a reflection on what would be most important to a person if they had to choose the last talk of their life – the things they would want to share with others.

Dr. Pausch passed away today, at the age of 47. He is survived by his wife, Jai, and their three children, Dylan, Logan and Chloe; his mother, Virginia Pausch of Columbia, Md.; and a sister, Tamara Mason of Lynchburg, Va.

Please take the time to watch this video. I hope that it inspires you to live your dreams.

SOURCE: myMeso › ‘Last Lecture’ professer has passed away

I’ve posted about John several times on this site. He was selected by the readers of Golf Digest magazine to participate in this first-ever celebrity foursome event. Diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer, John used the event as a chance to raise awareness about lung cancer and to inspire those with the diagnosis to keep meeting the challenges of everyday life, and taking advantage of life’s unique opportunities.

This morning, Matt Lauer interviewed John and his brother, Kevin, who caddied for his big brother on the last hole in an emotional show of support. Watch the video at MSNBC.com.

In addition to this video, the Lung Cancer Alliance has the first part of what will be a multi-part documentary about John’s battle against Lung Cancer up on its site. John is a spokesperson for the organization. Watch the first episode at the LCA web site.

John has made it his mission to raise awareness about lung cancer, with the hopes of increasing funding for research and treatment. His campaign gives hope to everyone who battles lung cancer in its many forms, including those fighting mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lungs. Thank you, John, for your willingness to go that extra mile!

SOURCE: myMeso › Atkinson conquers U.S. Open course

Atkinson was selected from more than 56,000 entries, voted on by the magazine’s readers. Never a smoker, he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer a little more than a year ago at age 38. He hopes to use the golf event as an opportunity to raise awareness for lung cancer funding and research.

In a press release from the Lung Cancer Alliance, which urged its members and supporters to vote for Atkinson, he is quoted as saying, “The game of golf to me is living. I am going out there to enjoy the golf course, to play a great round and to give hope to those who are faced with life threatening illnesses. If I can beat America’s deadliest cancer, then I can definitely break 100 [at Torrey Pines]. It’s going to be a great day, an emotional day, and I can’t wait.”

Lung cancer is the nation’s leading cancer killer, taking more lives than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined.

To enter the contest, Atkinson submitted a 100-word essay describing why he could break 100 at Torrey Pines. Once being chosen as a finalist, he received more than 48,000 of the 117,000 votes cast in the first U.S. Open Contest, conducted by Golf Digest, the United States Golf Association, and NBC Sports. You can watch a video interview with Atkinson and read other features about the foursome at Golf Digest online.

SOURCE: myMeso › Lung cancer survivor to play on U.S. Open course

A couple of the best forums, in my opinion, are the Lung Cancer Alliance Survivors Support Community, and the many forums sponsored by the LUNGevity Foundation. Recently, both groups have been tackling a difficult topic – how to find joy in daily living when faced with a diagnosis that is often grim.

They ask, “what is the positive side of lung cancer? IS there a positive side?”

Many people credit the forums themselves as a positive, providing a network of new friends, and helping them to find a place where they can be uplifted by other people’s stories of success. They say forums like these help them find relief by sharing their own fears and finding answers to their questions, and by helping them learn they are not alone.

Many echo each other in their feeling that their experience with cancer has taught them to value each day, and not to wait for tomorrow to accomplish goals. That surely would be a blessing for all of us to learn, wouldn’t it?

Some lung cancer survivors handle their challenges with humor. Yesterday I mentioned Debbie, who lives in the UK, who started her own web site about her battle with mesothelioma, and who nicknamed her tumor “Theo,” and provides reports on his condition and sometimes addresses him personally in her blog.

A poster on the LUNGevity forum recently found the humor in a YouTube video, in which two teenage girls spoof a Justin Timberlake rap song, “My Love,” with their own version, “My Lung,” in which they express their affection for their lung health. It seems they made the video as part of a high school health project.

On a similar track, a friend who knows I write about lung cancer sent me a link to an odd little web site called “I Heart Guts,” which features, among other things, plush toys and t-shirts depicting happy, smiling internal organs, including a shirt bearing the slogan “I Lung You.”

What about you? If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos disease or lung cancer, or if you are helping a family member or friend, how do you find peace and inspiration? What helps you?

One of the things I’d like for this site to do is to provide a resource for people struggling with meso, and a place to network and share ideas. Post your story to the Meso Map, or leave a comment to let me know what inspires you. Tell me if there’s another forum you like, or a web site with good information that I should add to my page’s blog roll.

This site is here for you.

SOURCE: myMeso › Is there a bright side of mesothelioma?

CBS licenses the toy, which is based on its popular CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ™ television program. Planet Toys is the manufacturer.

According to a Public Justice press release, the federal complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleges that CBS and Planet Toys were negligent in their quality control measures and that they promoted the CSI toys although they contained a hazardous and potentially lethal carcinogen.

In November 2007, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) released results of a study of a number of products, including the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ™ Fingerprint Examination Kit. It was found that the CSI toy’s fingerprinting powder contained asbestos. The fingerprinting powder containing asbestos also can be found in related CSI toy kits, the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ™ Field Kit and the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ™ Forensic Lab Kit.

The story was covered in the news media, including CNN, in December 2007. On Feb. 21 CNN did a follow-up report and noted that the Planet Toys had not yet issued a recall.

Public Justice reports that in a meeting including representatives from ADAO, CBS and Planet toys in December 2007, CBS and Planet Toys agreed to remove some of the toys from store shelves, and to work with Public Justice to further test the toys. However, Public Justice reports that months later, there has been no joint testing, Planet Toys continues to deny the products contain asbestos, and there has been no recall.

The Public Justice press release quotes Linda Reinstein, executive director of ADAO, who says, “Our pleas for the companies to do the right thing have fallen on deaf ears. It is unacceptable and unnecessary to have asbestos in toys, and especially in powder form, its most dangerous state. Most Americans falsely believe asbestos has been banned, but our recent product testing results prove asbestos remains a threat to public health.”

The federal complaint is a class action suit that asks the defendants to “provide refunds to consumers, pay for asbestos testing of toys that have been opened, and pay for appropriate medical treatment for consumers who have been exposed to asbestos,” according to the release. The state lawsuit “seeks civil penalties for violations of the law, in addition to injunctive relief.

Read the full text of the Public Justice press release here. This site also contains links to the federal and California state complaints.

Public Justice is a membership-supported law firm with more than 3,500 members, comprised of trial lawyers, other attorneys, and public interest advocates worldwide.

ADAO is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of “asbestos awareness, education, advocacy, prevention, support and a cure.”

SOURCE: myMeso › Asbestos in CSI toy sparks lawsuits

SOURCE: myMeso › Canada blocks asbestos ban

However, what they fail to mention is that there is no safe level of asbestos. It merely takes one microscopic fiber to embed itself in your lungs to create serious and lasting health risks. The incredible health risks associated with asbestos exposure were widely known at the time these films were made.

The 1934 Aetna Insurance’s Attorney’s Textbook of Medicine devotes a full chapter to asbestos exposure, noting that asbestosis was ‘incurable’ and usually results in disability followed by death.

Also, here is a 1949 internal Exxon memo marked ‘Company Confidential’ which documents lung cancer caused by asbestos.

SOURCE: myMeso › Early Asbestos Promotional Videos

This was also reported by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, in a report released Nov. 28, 2007, about the presence of asbestos in everyday products.

Watch the video, which also features a 35-year-old woman who has mesothelioma, which she contracted from breathing asbestos fibers brought home on her father’s work clothes.

SOURCE: myMeso › CSI: Asbestos

Click on the video below to watch a short video about ADAO, and visit them online.

SOURCE: myMeso › Join the fight against Asbestos Disease