The kick off of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation's ninth annual Symposium was yesterday as families and supporters of mesothelioma victims went to Capitol Hill to talk to senators and representatives about the toll of asbestos-related disease on Americans. The mesothelioma Advocacy Day was an effort to "urge them [Congress] to designate $5 million for mesothelioma through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Funding."
Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the tissue surrounding the lungs that is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Approximately 3,000 people are diagnosed each year with the disease. Most patients are older workers, veterans and retired workers who were exposed to asbestos in a workplace decades ago. It often takes many years after for the symptoms to present themselves with most people being diagnosed at the age of 65 or older. There is no known cure for mesothelioma.
Because mesothelioma is rarer than other cancers, there is typically less money devoted specifically to mesothelioma research, prevention and treatment. As a result, The Meso Foundation is a national non-profit that has worked tirelessly advocating for federal funds for mesothelioma. To date, the foundation has funded more than $7.6 million in mesothelioma research.
In addition to sending busloads of advocates to Capitol Hill, the Meso Foundation sponsored Virtual Advocacy Day. Anyone who was unable to travel to Washington, DC is asked to "forward the Virtual Hill Day email to 5 people asking them to take action because mesothelioma is important to you."
Everyone is asked to contact their legislators by clicking here to visit the Meso Foundation's action center to urge increased support for mesothelioma research funding.
