IT'S CALLED MESOTHELIOMA.
A CONDITION BROUGHT ON BY EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS AND
CLASSIFIED AS AN ORPHAN DISEASE AND WHILE AFFECTING ONLY A SMALL
PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION, BOTH THE CDC AND NATIONAL CANCER
INSTITUTE REPORT THAT MORE THAN 3,000 NEW CASES OF MESOTHELIOMA
ARE DIAGNOSED EACH YEAR.
HERE TO DISCUSS THIS RARE BUT DEADLY FORM OF CANCER AND WHAT'S
BEING DONE TO BRING JUSTICE TO VICTIMS AND VICTIMS FAMILIES, IS
RICKY LEBLANC.
MANAGING ATTORNEY OF SOKOLOVE LAW.
A NATION WIDE LAW FIRM THAT'S HELP BRING JUSTICE AND
COMPENSATION TO MORE THAN 2,000 VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES OF
ASBESTOS RELATED DISEASES AND CANCERS.
GOOD MORNING RICKY.
GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU.
GLAD TO BE HERE OLGA.
BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT THIS DISEASE AND WHAT YOUR FIRM IS
DOING.
I KNOW THIS PASSION YOU HAVE OF HELPING PEOPLE HAS COME FROM
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED IN YOUR CHILDHOOD.
WOULD YOU MIND SHARING THAT WITH US?
SURE.
I MEAN LIKE MANY PEOPLE, MANY OF YOUR VIEWERS, I WAS THE
SON OF A PIPE FITTER AND MY MOTHER WAS A FACTORY WORKER AND
SO I CAME FROM A SMALL BLUE COLLAR TOWN AND I REALIZED THAT
THESE PEOPLE DON'T GET ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND I WANT TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
SO, I BECAME A LAWYER AND FORTUNATELY
I LANDED IN AN ASBESTOS FIRM AS A YOUNG MAN AND REALIZED THAT
THESE ARE MY NEIGHBORS.
THESE ARE PEOPLE LIKE MY FATHER'S
FRIENDS.
THEY COULD BE MY FATHER.
AND LET'S BE HONEST, THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT REALLY HAVE DONE
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG.
NOTHING.
THESE ARE HARD WORKING MEN AND WOMEN THAT DID THEIR
JOBS AND AS A RESULT, CAME DOWN WITH THIS DISEASE.
AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THE DISEASE, MESOTHELIOMA.
TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.
WELL, TO KEEP IT SIMPLE.
MESOTHELIOMA IS, IS LIKE HAVING PLASTIC WRAP AROUND EACH OF YOUR
ORGANS THAT ARE LINED WITH GREASE.
THAT STOPS THE ORGANS FROM RUBBING AGAINST EACH OTHER.
THAT'S CALLED THE MESOTHELIOMA.
AND THIS IS DISEASE THAT MESOTHELIOMA.
IT'S A CANCER, VERY AGGRESSIVE, FAST MOVING
CANCER.
AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR SOMEONE TO
NOTICE THAT THEY'VE BEEN EXPOSED TO THIS.
ARE THERE SYMPTOMS?
YEAH, THE REAL ISSUE IS YOU ARE EXPOSED TO IT AND THEN IT'S
30-50 YEARS OFTEN BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY DEVELOP THE DISEASE.
OH MY!
IT TAKES THAT LONG TO MANIFEST WITHIN THE BODY.
WITHOUT YOU EVEN KNOWING.
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW AT ALL.
AND THEN WHAT STARTS HAPPENING AFTER THOSE YEARS?
AFTER CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME, YOUR BODY STOPS BEING ABLE TO
REACT TO THE INFILTRATION OF ASBESTOS AND THEN YOU START
DEVELOPING THIS DISEASE MESOTHELIOMA.
AT FIRST, IT MAY JUST BE, FEEL LIKE LOW BACK PAIN OR IT MAY
FEEL LIKE A LITTLE COUGH OR OTHER SYMPTOMS COULD BE
PNEUMONIA LIKE.
SO YOU THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE.
BUT IF YOU WERE EXPOSED TO ASBESTOS, IT'S
IMPORTANT THAT YOUR DOCTOR KNOW THAT YOU WERE BECAUSE THEY MAY
START LOOKING AT SOMETHING OTHER THAN PNEUMONIA OR BACK SPRANG.
AND RICKY, WHO FALLS VICTIM TO THIS?
THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT DEVELOP THIS DISEASE WERE IN
OCCUPATIONS THAT ARE PART OF THE TRADES.
IT'S WHETHER YOU ARE A PIPE FITTER, A PLUMBER, A
CARPENTER, ELECTRICIAN OR ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT AUDIENCE IS
ANYBODY WHO HAS WORKED ON SHIPS.
WHETHER YOU'VE BEEN IN THE NAVY, OR COAST GUARD, MERCHANT
MARINES, ETC.
AND I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHEN SOMEONE HEARS THE NEWS.
NOT ONLY IS THERE SHOCK FOR THAT
INDIVIDUAL BUT FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY.
IT'S GOT TO BE SO PAINFUL.
YEAH, IT'S A DEVASTATING DISEASE, YOU HEAR THAT.
THE PRIMARY FOCUS FOR THESE FAMILIES
IS IMMEDIATELY, HOW DO WE TAKE CARE OF OUR LOVED ONE WITH OUR
DISEASE.
HOW DO WE SEEK THE TREATMENT?
LET'S DO WHAT'S BEST FOR THEM.
AND LET'S TALK ABOUT SOKOLOVE LAW.
WHAT ARE DOING IN TERMS OF HELPING THESE PEOPLE AND THE
ADVANTAGES THAT ONE WOULD HAVE TO GO SEE YOU.
YEAH, AT SOKOLOVE LAW, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THESE PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN GIVEN THIS DEVASTATING NEWS, AND HAVE TO DO SOMETHING
ABOUT THAT.
BUT THE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT MEDICALLY.
THEY CALL US, WE TAKE CARE OF THE LEGAL ASPECTS OF THE CASE OR
A CLAIM THAT THEY MAY HAVE.
SO, WE GO TO THEIR HOMES, WE DO INTERVIEWS THERE.
WE MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE.
THEY SHOULD CONCENTRATE ON FIGHTING THIS
DISEASE, WE'LL CONCENTRATE ON GETTING THE JUSTICE.
SO, REALLY IT DOES INVOLVE THE WHOLE FAMILY BECAUSE YOU NEED TO
NOT ONLY TALK TO THE VICTIM BUT ALSO THE FAMILY MEMBERS IN TERMS
OF FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENED HERE.
YEAH, I MEAN, OFTEN FAMILY MEMBERS AND SOMETIMES IT'S MORE
LIKE A BROTHER OR A SISTER THAT KNEW THEM WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG.
KNEW EXACTLY WHEN THEY WERE EXPOSED AND WHAT HAPPENED AND
SO, EVERYBODY GETS INVOLVED.
AND LET'S FACE IT, THE NUCLEAR FAMILY, THE HUSBAND AND WIFE,
DEPENDING ON WHICH ONE IS INJURED, THEY ARE CONCENTRATING
ON HELPING THEIR SPOUSE AND SO IT'S OFTEN TIMES WE TALK TO
OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS TO HELP BUILD A CASE.
THERE IS NO CURE FOR THIS DISEASE OBVIOUSLY.
THERE ISN'T.
RIGHT NOW THERE IS A LOT OF RESEARCH GOING ON AND WE'RE
HOPEFUL.
SO, WHEN YOU HEAR THESE VICTIMS, THEY OBVIOUSLY KNOW WHAT'S GOING
TO HAPPEN.
GENERALLY SPEAKING THEY DO, YES, IS IT SOMEWHAT, AND I DON'T, I
SAY THIS VERY CAREFULLY, REWARDING FOR YOU TO KNOW THAT
YOU'VE HELPED SOMEBODY THAT KNOWS THAT THEY WILL EVENTUALLY
DIE FROM THIS?
THAT'S WHY I DO THIS.
I MEAN WE STARTED THIS INTERVIEW TALKING ABOUT THE BLUE COLLAR
FAMILIES, WHICH IS WHERE I COME FROM AND I WANT TO SEEK JUSTICE
FOR THEM.
THIS IS AN AVOIDABLE DISEASE IF PEOPLE DIDN'T USE
ASBESTOS, IF MANUFACTURERS DIDN'T USE ASBESTOS IN THEIR
PRODUCTS, PEOPLE WOULDN'T HAVE THIS DISEASE.
AND SO IT GIVES A GREAT DEAL OF SATISFACTION TO GET JUSTICE FOR
THESE PEOPLE AND YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT THANK YOU ALL
THE TIME BECAUSE THEY WANT TO LEAVE KNOWING THAT THEIR FAMILY
IS TAKEN CARE OF.
YOU'VE HAD SO MANY CASES SOKOLOVE LAW.
IS THERE ONE THAT STANDS OUT IN YOUR MIND THAT YOU JUST WILL
NEVER FORGET?
I REMEMBER AN ELDERLY GENTLEMAN WHO WAS BATTLING THIS DISEASE.
HIS HEALTH WAS FAILING RAPIDLY AND WE JUST LOOKED AT ME WHEN HE
GOT HIS FIRST CHECK AND SAID, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
MY ROOF IS LEAKING, MY WIFE DOESN'T HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS
LEAKING ROOF ANYMORE AND I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE FIXED, I KNOW
YOU GUYS WILL TAKE CARE OF HER.
REALLY GREAT INFORMATION TODAY, RICKY.
FOR ANYBODY OUT THERE WHO MAY KNOW SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN
DIAGNOSED WITH MESOTHELIOMA, ANYWHERE THEY CAN GO TO FIND OUT
MORE ABOUT YOUR LAW FIRM.
YES, THEY SHOULD GO TO WEB, TO SOKOLOVELAW.COM
THEY WILL FIND ALL THE INFORMATION THEY NEED THERE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
AND IF YOU'D LIKE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TODAY'S TOPIC, YOU
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