One thing we know for sure regarding disease is that it knows no status. Mesothelioma and other cancers affect everyone and all the money in the world cannot keep cancer at bay. Over the years, many famous people have been diagnosed with the rare form of cancer known as mesothelioma, a very serious type of cancer that attacks the lining of some vital organs such as the lungs. Unfortunately, most people diagnosed with mesothelioma will die from the disease.
Mesothelioma can lie dormant for years, even decades, so when the actual diagnosis is made, the cancer has usually progressed to the terminal stage. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos, which is a set of six naturally-occurring silicate minerals used commercially for heat and fire-resistant properties. Paul Gleason and Steve McQueen are just two famous actors who have succumbed to the insidious cancer known as mesothelioma.
Steve McQueen and Paul Gleason
Steve McQueen is one of the most famous and talented actors of the twentieth century. Popular for the iconic rebel persona and the anti-hero characters he played in movies such as The Magnificent Seven and Wanted: Dead or Alive, McQueen is also widely known for his death from pleural mesothelioma.
Pleural mesothelioma attacks the lining of the pleura, which is the lining that protects the lungs. McQueen was most likely exposed to asbestos during his time as a Marine, and while wearing flame retardant suits while racing cars and motorcycles. When McQueen was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 1979, he was told that there was no treatment or cure, so he went to Mexico for alternative treatments. These treatments did not help him, and soon after a surgery in 1980 to remove a large tumor, he died from a heart attack.
Paul Gleason, best known for his sardonic performances in the movies, The Breakfast Club, Trading Places and Van Wilder, was also an athlete, poet, husband and father. After a long battle against malignant pleural mesothelioma, he died on May 29, 2006 at 67.
If you or a loved one is suffering from mesothelioma due to exposure to asbestos in the workplace, you may have a valid legal claim. Please contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at Brown | Kiely, LLP in Baltimore, Maryland today to schedule a no-cost consultation.
