Pasadena 6/9/2011 2:48:26 AM
News / Law

High School football player dies of mesothelioma

By: Daun Lee

Austin Lacy was a Pasadena California high school senior and outstanding football player until a rare form of cancer called mesothelioma took his life on June 3rd.

What is so unusual about his death is that mesothelioma usually afflicts people much later in life. The average person who contracts mesothelioma is in their sixties or seventies, and worked in industries which use asbestos such as construction, oil refinery and plumbing. Asbestos was commonly used through most of the twentieth century because of its flame retardant properties. Many of the victims of mesothelioma gain access to funds with the help of a mesothelioma attorney.

Lacy was diagnosed with mesothelioma, and went to Maryland to receive treatment accompanied by his mother. Shortly after arriving at the Maryland facility, he suffered a heart attack and was on life support until doctors felt it was time to let him pass. He was hospitalized five times in May. The cause of his mesothelioma is not known. It took researchers in Scottsdale Arizona to determine what exactly was causing Lacy’s health problems.

The treatment for mesothelioma is usually multi-modal, combining surgery with radiation treatments and chemotherapy, which is costly. A mesothelioma lawyer can fight to obtain compensation for victims of asbestos exposure.

Over 3,000 people a year contract mesothelioma, for which there is no cure. The mesothelioma patients and their families struggle both financially and emotional to deal with the deadly cancer. Though money, attained with the help of a mesothelioma attorney, can’t restore health or replace a loved one, it can make victims more comfortable during their trying times.