LPK Law Honors Larry Davis as Stop Mesothelioma’s “Advocate of the Month”

November 15, 2011 – Larry Davis was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2006, but you won’t find him sitting on the sidelines of life. Larry Davis is a runner. He has run 18 marathons since his first in 1978 and logs 25 miles per week when not in training.

These days, Larry is running to save his own life. Larry combined his love of running with his passion for mesothelioma advocacy and awareness to found the annual South Florida Miles for Meso 8K Run & 4K Tribute Walk. This annual road race raises money for the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation), which supports efforts to ban asbestos and research toward a cure for mesothelioma.

For his dedication to the mesothelioma community, Larry Davis has been named Stop Mesothelioma’s first “Advocate of the Month.” Stop Mesothelioma is a Facebook project created and sponsored by Levy Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP (“LPK Law”), which pledges to donate $1 to mesothelioma research and efforts to ban asbestos for every “Like” the page receives up to $100,000.

Larry’s story starts like those of many mesothelioma victims – he was diagnosed with mesothelioma and told he had just six months to live. He was offered chemotherapy and radiation, the traditional approach to mesothelioma treatment. However, Larry decided to forego the traditional treatments. Instead, he decided to work with doctors he felt were more open-minded and offered more radical therapies. He also tried to maintain a more holistic approach to his treatment. Larry continued to run, to keep a positive attitude, and to drink healthy organic vitamin blends. He underwent a progressive tumor removal surgery with Dr. H. Richard Alexander at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center and plans to have follow-up treatment with Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj at the South Florida Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant Institute.

Larry credits his active lifestyle – including his running, continuing to operate his business called Extreme Eyewear, sailing, and traveling with his wife Carol and their award winning dogs – for his ability to keep a positive attitude and persevere through his mesothelioma treatments.

Larry also emphasizes the support his wife Carol has given him in his struggle to beat mesothelioma. “Caregivers don’t often get the credit they deserve,” says Larry. He proudly notes that Carol will be running the 2012 Boston Marathon in his honor and that Carol’s daughter Heather and son-in-law Mark Malovos have also qualified for the Boston Marathon. Larry plans to join them at the finish line.

Despite his ongoing medical treatment, Larry continues to run. In the summer of 2011, Larry was getting ready for a fifth surgery to treat his mesothelioma. Although a prior surgery almost killed him, Larry refused to spend his time worrying. Two weeks before his June 27th surgery, Larry participated in a Father’s Day Weekend Triathlon with his daughter Courtney.

It is this zest for life that impacts those around him. Sarah Hager-Karaz, whose husband passed away at the age of 44 from mesothelioma shortly after their first daughter was born, credits Larry Davis with helping her learn to believe in a cure. For Hager-Karaz, running became an outlet while she cared for her husband during his illness and raised their six month old daughter. After meeting Larry, “He instantly became my inspiration. [I felt] a hope I was not able to see with my husband… I looked at Larry and despite all the emotions that meeting him, knowing him and praying for him welled up in me… I suddenly in my heart knew I finally met a man that made me believe in a cure.”

The Meso Foundation applauds Larry for his work. According to Mary Hesdorffer, Medical Liaison for the Meso Foundation, “Larry Davis is in the race of his life raising funds to support the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundations Peer Reviewed Grants Program. Larry leads the pack with many patients following in his footsteps helping the Foundation to raise awareness and fund research for more effective treatments and a cure.”

Linda Reinstein, founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, also praises Larry’s activism. “Larry is remarkable in every sense of the word,” she says. “As a courageous and unwavering leader, Larry has boldly and tirelessly worked to ban asbestos and fund research for a cure. Always speaking the truth, Larry has greatly increased asbestos awareness to prevent exposure. I am honored to call him my friend.”

Despite the efforts of Larry and other advocates, asbestos is still not banned in the United States, and you can hear the indignation in Larry’s voice when he starts to discuss the fact that companies in the United States still import asbestos today. In an effort to change this fact, Larry actively participates in lobbying efforts to ban asbestos and to raise awareness about the health hazards of its continued use. In June of 2011, just days before his fifth mesothelioma surgery, Larry joined a group of mesothelioma advocates on Capital Hill to lobby for this important change.

LPK Law honors Larry Davis for his work on behalf of mesothelioma victims. “Larry is a tireless advocate for the mesothelioma community” says Sharon J. Zinns, an LPK Law attorney who will be running in the February 2012 South Florida Miles for Meso race. “Not only does Larry advocate for his own best treatment, but he also influences those around him to seek better care. It is because of research funded in part by South Florida Miles for Meso that such care is available. Larry’s positive attitude shines through and impacts everyone who has the pleasure to meet him.”

Although he is recovering from a medical set back and not currently running every day, Larry expects to be logging miles again soon and looks forward to running the 3rd Annual South Florida Miles for Meso 8K Run & 4K Tribute Walk on February 12, 2012. You can now register for this race. LPK Law is a Presenting Sponsor of the 2012 South Florida Miles for Meso race.

LPK Law is a national law firm that has represented families affected by mesothelioma for more than 25 years. For more information, please call 1-800-MESO-LAW (1-800-637-6529). Visit the Stop Mesothelioma project at http://www.facebook.com/stopmeso.

To read the story on it’s original page click here.

Levy, Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP Help South FL Miles for Meso

Stop Mesothelioma Raises $10,000 in First 24 Hours and Donates It to Florida Charity Run to Fund Mesothelioma Research

November 9, 2011 – Members of the mesothelioma community showed the enormous power of social media by raising more than $10,000 in 24 hours on a new Facebook page called Stop Mesothelioma. Levy Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP (“LPK”), the sponsor of the page, has pledged to donate $1 to mesothelioma research and efforts to ban asbestos for every “Like” the page receives up to $100,000.

After reaching 10,000 “Likes” within the first 24 hours, LPK announced that the first $10,000 would be donated to the 3rd Annual South Florida Miles for Meso 8K Run and 4K Tribute Walk. Larry Davis, the race director and a mesothelioma survivor, said, “We are very thankful for the support of LPK. This money is needed to help find a cure for this disease.” Mr. Davis’ annual event, scheduled for February 12, 2012, in Boca Raton, has previously raised more than $50,000, all of which is donated directly to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (“Meso Foundation”).

LPK intends to donate all money from the Stop Mesothelioma project to the Meso Foundation, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (“ADAO”), and fundraising events that support these organizations.

LPK is a national law firm that has represented families affected by mesothelioma for more than 25 years. For more information, please call 1-800-MESO-LAW (1-800-637-6529).

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Mesothelioma Community Rallies at the Today Show in New York for Mesothelioma Awareness Day 2011

LPK’s mesothelioma lawyers and staff members joined volunteers from the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation at the second annual rally held outside of NBC’s Today Show studios to commemorate National Mesothelioma Awareness Day to spread the word about asbestos and mesothelioma.

NEW YORK, New York, September 26, 2011 – Mesothelioma lawyers and staff members from Levy Phillips & Konigsberg LLP (“LPK”), gathered at today’s rally held at Rockefeller Center in New York City to commemorate National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. It was a great opportunity for volunteers from LPK to help the mesothelioma community to raise awareness about mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure.

Supporters of mesothelioma awareness started gathering at the plaza as early as 5:30 in the morning. In the darkness of the early hour, dozens of men, women, and children wearing bright orange t-shirts displaying the website Curemeso.org waited for the moment when they could let the nation know about the dangers of asbestos and the need to find a cure for mesothelioma. This extraordinary group of people knows first-hand what this disease does to the victims and their family members because most of them are either mesothelioma survivors, or family members of those currently fighting the cancer or who have unfortunately died from this asbestos-related disease. Together with them were members of the Heat and Frost Insulators Union Local 12, which has lost many of its workers to mesothelioma and other diseases caused by asbestos exposure.

Volunteers from LPK arrived at the rally ahead of time to greet fellow supporters and to provide them with breakfast. After a long wait, hosts Ann Curry, Lester Holt, and Al Roker came out to greet the big crowd that gathered outside. Al Roker approached the meso group during one of the morning show’s segments and highlighted the website for the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, www.curemeso.org. The group was also greeted by the Today Show’s guests, including actress and former Saturday Night Live star Molly Shannon, and actress Jennifer Garner.

Volunteers from LPK documented this event on video by interviewing attendees and organizers of the rally, including Kathy Wiedemer, the Executive Director of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. This video, which has been released on YouTube and Facebook, will further serve to raise awareness about asbestos-caused mesothelioma and the need for research funding.

Today’s event was the second annual rally at the Today Show organized by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, which is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization seeking a cure for mesothelioma through the funding of peer-reviewed medical research.

Since 2004, the Meso Foundation has recognized Mesothelioma Awareness Day in order to promote awareness for the disease and research for a cure. As a result of the foundation’s efforts, the United States Congress has established and declared September 26 as National Mesothelioma Awareness Day.

The volunteers from Levy Phillips & Konigsberg LLP included attorneys Jerome Block, Lori Benavides, and Wayne Margolis, as well as LPK’s Community Outreach Director Tim Davidov and other members of the firm.

For over a quarter of a century, mesothelioma lawyers at LPK have been pioneers in asbestos litigation throughout the United States. The firm’s attorneys have been recognized for their skill and ethics by independent organizations including “The Best Lawyers in America” and Martindale-Hubbell. LPK’s clients have received some of the largest mesothelioma compensation verdicts in the country.

For more information, or to request a free DVD of the video documenting the Today Show event, please contact Levy Phillips & Konigsberg LLP at 1-800-MESO-LAW (1-800-637-6529).

For facebook information & photos from Mesothelioma Awareness Day 2011 click here.