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When Mike Hackler, a prominent cardiovascular surgeon in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, diagnosed two of his patients — long-time good friends dating back to high school — with mesothelioma in 2001, he privately suspected he would be next.

Unfortunately, he was right.

“I was already grown, getting ready to move to California, and I remember my dad sat me down, told me there was a chance that he’d be coming down with this cancer soon. I couldn’t even pronounce ‘mesothelioma,’ then,”  his son, also Mike Hackler, said recently.  “He just had this feeling. And I thought, ‘No way. You’re a doctor in your prime. You’re feeling great. You have nothing to worry about.’ “’

But he did.

Five years later, Dr.  Hackler was diagnosed, too, dramatically changing the face of this dreaded disease, normally associated with blue-collar professions and military service, where exposure to asbestos is commonplace.

College Job Gone Bad

Dr. Hackler and his high school buddies had worked summer jobs together during their college years at the nearby Port of Baton Rouge, unloading 140-pound bags of asbestos that were shipped from Africa. Part of that job was closely inspecting every 100th bag, breaking it open and sifting through the asbestos, which meant inhaling the deadly fibers.

Hackler died almost four years ago, at age 60, almost 40 years after tossing those sacks of asbestos, long after he had touched the lives — saved the lives — of so many in Baton Rouge.

“You just don’t think of this disease striking someone like my dad. When it came to medicine, he had all the answers,”’ Mike told Asbestos.com in a recent interview. “But this thing can strike anyone, at any time, long after they think they’re in the clear.”’

Mesothelioma is caused almost exclusively by an exposure to asbestos, but it can be 30-40 years before any symptoms appear.  His son Mike, now a financial advisor in Baton, Rouge, has become especially active in raising awareness, raising money for research, which is no surprise to those who knew his father.

A religious man, Dr. Hackler prayed with his patients before surgery. He traveled the world doing volunteer work, helping set up medical facilities and churches in less developed countries.

He tended a huge rose garden in his own backyard, then distributed those roses to the women at his church, bringing smiles to their faces every Sunday. He often lent his time and medical expertise to the less fortunate. He considered himself a lucky man. Even near the end, he made sure his son Mike brought roses for the nurses in the hospital.

“He came from nothing, and really would give the shirt off his back to anyone,” Mike said. “To see your mentor, best friend, father get hit with something like this, it’s hard. It’s like God takes the best ones first. His life was just torn apart. It’s not something you ever would wish on your worst enemy.”

Dad’s Memory Drives Son to Find Cure

Mike hopes now to use his father’s memory to help others and to help find a cure. He has been a guest several times on National Public Radio shows, telling his story, reminding everyone how deadly asbestos can be.

He travels to Washington, D.C., every year in June for the International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma, lobbying congressmen and their aides and anyone else who will listen on Capitol Hill.

He is setting up an annual golf tournament in Baton Rouge to raise money and awareness. He wants to hold a Miles For Meso Road Race, similar to others cropping up around the country.

He works closely with MARF (Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation). He makes sure people know about  National Mestothelioma Awareness Day (Sept. 26).

Because the military has been the source of so many mesothelioma cases — an estimated 30 percent — he is part of a growing effort to push the United States Department of Defense to up its annual contribution for research to $5 million.

“It’s kind of like an orphan disease because it doesn’t get the exposure, the research money, that others do. There is a cure out there.  We just have to find it,” he said. “I’ll keep working toward that.”

In the final weeks of his father’s life, young Mike spent many days and nights at the hospital, getting to know personally the oncologists and medical professionals who took special care of the doctor.

“In a lot of ways, he was lucky. With his background, he understood the disease, and knew where to turn,” Mike said. “He didn’t give up and he didn’t give in. But I remember him saying ‘all is well with my soul.’ ”

Learn More About Mesothelioma

At least 2,000 people a year in the United States are diagnosed with mesothelioma. To get more information about the disease, the Mesothelioma Center offers a free packet full of details about the disease, treatments, the latest clinical trials, doctors and more. Packets are delivered overnight.

Continued here: Son of Heart Surgeon Reminds All That Asbestos Exposure, Mesothelioma Know No Boundaries

Technology has played a critical role in the evolution of the medical sciences. Not only have innovations in engineering and biotechnology increased out methods of diagnosis, prevention and treatment, but telecommunications and the Internet have created a virtual world in which the exchange of information from one end of the globe to another is taking place in real time. Technology that has become as mundane as Wi-Fi, smartphones and iPhones allows doctors to access medical information, including patient records, patient monitoring systems and reference material from anywhere at any time.

This type of instant access is tremendously beneficial to doctors treating patients with such complicated diseases as mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective lining of the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen that is caused almost exclusively by prolonged exposure to asbestos. Malignant mesothelioma is very difficult to detect because it takes several decades to develop and only becomes symptomatic in later stages. And once it is diagnosed, usually too late to save the patient’s life, mesothelioma treatment must be initiated immediately if there is any chance of prolonging the patient’s life. In these cases, time is of the essence and the speedy and efficient exchange of information that today’s technology provides is in fact affecting patients’ life expectancies.

Doctors, especially the younger generations, are clearly welcoming of the benefits offered by mobile technology. A study by Manhattan Research, a New York City-based pharmaceutical and healthcare market research and services firm, found that 75% of U.S. physicians own some form of Apple device, and they “also express strong interest in being able to access electronic medical records through the iPad.”

See the original post: The growth of mobile technology and the treatment of mesothelioma | Mesothelioma News

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The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) halted demolition cleanup of the Bloomingburg School after asbestos was found in one of the remaining debris piles. Asbestos is a highly toxic mineral fiber that was used in many construction materials throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. It can still be found in many school buildings constructed prior to 1989, when asbestos was banned for causing such fatal illnesses as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare malignancy.

Asbestos removal is required prior to any demolition or renovation, as the disturbance of any asbestos-containing material can cause the release of carcinogenic fibers. Before the Bloomingburg School was demolished, the Ohio EPA received a notice from Miami Trace and several contractors stating that approximately 84 square feet of asbestos had been abated. However, when an EPA inspector reported to the demolition site to look into complaints about trash blowing around, asbestos-containing pipe material was found.

This discovery means that both demolition workers and residents of the area around the former school have likely been exposed to asbestos ever since the demolition took place on April 18th. One of the illnesses associated with prolonged asbestos exposure is malignant mesothelioma. This cancer takes an average of 40 years to develop, but is generally only diagnosed once it has reached the later stages and becomes symptomatic. Asbestos cancer, as it is also known, is in most cases terminal and incurable.

“After discussing this with the school district, environmental consultants and the local contractors, we are developing a plan about how they can correctly abate the asbestos in the debris pile and have a proper cleanup,” said Erin Strouse, a spokesperson for Ohio EPA.

“The cleanup has been halted just until we can get a handle on the situation. We are taking the proper precautions.”

The rest is here: Demolition cleanup halted because of faulty asbestos abatement | Mesothelioma News

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We devote a lot of energy to touting the importance of cancer research.A After all, research produces new therapies that save lives.A Research has paid important dividends for cancer patients and there are many recent examples.A Treatments that were in clinical trials a few years ago are live saving staples today.A To be sure, research is …

Read the rest here: Chicago Plays A Central Role In Bringing & Keeping Cancer Drugs On The Market

We devote a lot of energy to touting the importance of cancer research.A After all, research produces new therapies that save lives.A Research has paid important dividends for cancer patients and there are many recent examples.A Treatments that were in clinical trials a few years ago are live saving staples today.A To be sure, research is …

Go here to read the rest: Chicago Plays A Central Role In Bringing & Keeping Cancer Drugs On The Market

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