Durham, NC 2014 Miles for Meso

Davis Duo

Durham, NC – A couple of weeks ago I agreed (wholeheartedly) to help captain a virtual team for this year’s Miles 4 Meso race in Alton, IL.

TODAY I REGISTERED!! And I hope you will too.

To make it easier – and possibly more fun, especially for my local peeps – I’m offering to donate another $5 for anyone joining me Saturday September 27th at 8:30 am at Durham’s Northgate Park! For each person who makes the commitment to come out and run or walk with me in honor of Mesothelioma Awareness Day & the 6th Annual running of the Alton, IL Miles 4 Meso event, I’ll donate to the cause in your honor. *If you bring your dog, I’ll donate another $5!

Meso Awareness Day is actually September 26th. The day will most certainly be marked by Mesothelioma Awareness Research Foundation Warriors in Times Square, as my father joined in while he was alive. The weekend of MAD he would also try to run the Simmons Hanly Conroy race.

courtesy CureMeso.org

So in his honor I will try to run, or at least walk, a planned course in the Northgate neighborhood (300 West Club Blvd).

YOU can register for the ADAO Mesothelioma Warrior Virtual Team.

I signed up and created the group Durham Davis’s and added I was running in honor of Larry Davis!

** Also, if you join me, in addition to donating $5 to ADAO for you, I’ll provide Saturday morning snacks at my place!

Me & Mary from MARF in 2012

Miles4Meso 2014 & ADAO

6 years ago the Simmons Law Firm in Alton, IL began a race called Miles 4 Meso. Since then numerous groups, companies and individuals have started their own M4M races or rides all across the country. My father organized his 1st the following year, in 2010. The proceeds all going to advancing the little knowledge the world has in regards to the devastating cancer, Mesothelioma, and trying to find a cure.

This year the original race, held the weekend of National Mesothelioma Awareness Day, has pledged their support to the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization and President, Linda Reinstein.

I personally don’t think I have run a race since the M4M event a few months following my father’s death in 2012. It certainly brings up a number of feelings, many that are not worth mentioning here, but at least one of anger that the US has not yet banned the use of asbestos in many household and automotive products – or that they didn’t when politicians learned asbestos was killing people.

Reinstein recently held a campaign to bring more awareness to Congress #message2congress about the dangers of asbestos. That, in addition to traveling the world for asbestos related hearings and visiting the many victims and families of this horrible killer.

I look forward to helping her bring visibility to this year’s Miles 4 Meso, ADAO and the dangers of asbestos exposure.

Please join us! Either in person or as part of the ADAO Mesothelioma Warriors Virtual Team . XO~Courtney

2014 Five Guys 5/10K [formerly Miles4Meso]

For all those of you out there who are feeling nostalgic, generous or other wise trying to carry out your New Year’s resolutions to get fit;

REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR THE FORMER SOUTH FLORIDA MILES FOR MESO!

The event is now called the Five Guys (Burgers and Fries) 5K/10K Run/Walk. It’s their 2nd annual since taking over the SF Miles4Meso race after my father, Larry Davis, died in 2012.

This race gives a $1 donation for every registered applicant to the Larry Davis Scholarship fund. It was established by the Runner’s Edge Foundation. The scholarship money is given in dad’s name to 3 worthy, college-bound runners in the South Florida area. I believe you have to be a graduating high school senior to apply.

You can also give directly to the scholarship fund, as I am, by sending your donation to:

Larry Davis Scholarship

c/o Runner’s Edge Foundation

3195 N. Federal Highway

Boca Raton, Florida 33431

It would be amazing if runners and walkers alike would wear their tribute & team support shirts for the friends and family they’ve lost to Mesothelioma. It’s still at Spanish River Park in Boca Raton Valentine’s weekend. This year it will be held on the 15th. You can register race day between 6am & 7am. Go time is at 07:15 .

More info can be acquired by calling 561-361-1950 or emailing tvladimir@aol.com .

Please run, because he can’t …

A Wonder(ful) Woman

Janelle Bedel

Rushville, IN June 19, 2013 –

Last night I heard from a dear friend (and another father-lost-to-Meso amazing lady) that Janelle Bedel had lost her battle with Mesothelioma. (To read more about Janelle’s battle see Mesothelioma & Me)

It is an incredibly sad day.

I’ve had my own demons in the year since my father died. I’ve been wrestling with how he left his estate, the loose ends that were left untied by his death, and what it says about our relationship. Father’s Day came and went with a couple of friends who helped note the day with kind wishes, but no conversation with my dad … the only the reminder that it was the last day I saw him alive, one year ago.

The last few weeks have brought on the deaths of some other incredible Meso warriors and it all seems to much to bear. Today certainly marks the worst of it. It’s unbelievable to think another family is torn apart by a man made disease. A young, vibrant woman taken from her family way too soon.

Janelle’s Journey 2: In Memory of Larry Davis

Last October Janelle and her husband orchestrated the “Miles for Meso” bike run in honor of my father Larry Davis. The proceeds went to help the Meso Foundation’s immunotherapy research grant in his name. This gesture was indicative of this Wonder Woman. Janelle continued to fight to educate people about the deadly effects of asbestos, even from her hospital bed. When arrangements were made for hospice, the fight grew in her and she did more to inform people about this cancer than anyone I’ve ever seen. Rushville Indiana now has a day to celebrate Janelle’s life, the Bedel’s have a key to the city, and most of the greater IN and OH area must’ve seen the coverage of the Facebook movement adding the Wonder Woman symbol to everything in her honor. Hundreds of people have been introduced to Janelle, her kindness, her energy and her devotion to getting the word out about what politicians are doing to all of us by not eliminating all uses of asbestos.

Left to right: Linda, Janelle & Larry and the 3rd Annual South Florida Miles for Meso event.

I really don’t know Janelle all that well. She and my dad would talk and she always kept tabs on his progress. I feel like I know her because of all that she did in honor of my dad, but in all honesty we only had a couple of conversations. I watched her from afar as she was adored by others in the Meso community, loved by family in touching FB posts and awarded in all sorts of ways by ADAO, the Rushville Mayor, Senators and those of us who just had the simple opportunity to watch her brush into our lives like a super hero. I would’ve loved to have known her better. I think we all would be lucky to have this Wonder Woman in our lives a long while longer … if only. ❤

Wishing you love and peace on your next journey Janelle. Thank you for including me and my dad in the last one.

I’m not sure yet where to make donations officially, but you can always go to the Meso Foundation’s CureMeso.org site and give in Janelle Bedel’s name or on the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization’s donation page.

A Vote For Emily Helps ADAO & Remembers Larry

Salt Lake City, UT – My cousin and Larry’s niece, Emily Bleyl, has been selected as one of Utah’s 30 Women to Watch! It’s quite an honor. And isn’t it wonderful when you are recognized as a standout in your work, but also when it can benefit others? Well, that’s exactly what Emma is helping to do …

The Utah Business Magazine is running a list of profiles on their Facebook page of the top women in varying professions. My cousin, Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, is dedicated to helping professionals in her field grow, as well as the people around her and in helping carry on my father’s legacy by warning others of the effects of asbestos.

UBM has offered the winner $1000 to the charity of her choice and a $15,000 ad campaign to boot! Emily has selected the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization as her charity and I’m hoping you will vote for her from now until May 17th!

You can vote once every 24 hours by going to her page ( http://on.fb.me/102MMTO ) and “Like” both advertisements. Her photo should appear and you will see five stars to the right of the image. Click on the stars and you will have voted! Please share around and drum up more support.

Best of luck to you Emily! Thank you for remembering my father, Larry Davis, and continuing his work of advocating for others. xoxo ~Courtney

Boston

Moments after I heard about the tragedy in Boston, I thought to myself … this is just the thing I want to call up my

Larry Davis meets Brooks Robinson, wearing his Boston Marathon jacket.

father and see if he knows already.

As many of you know my father died in July of last year from Mesothelioma. Now I can only think to myself how the conversation would go.

Monday morning while I was listing to Kelcey Carlson’s husband on the radio reminding me of her love to run and that she was back in Boston to do another marathon, I was reminded that my dad went last year.  I was not invited and it too brings up painful memories of how his wife never accepted most of our family, but that was what I was thinking that morning. By the afternoon, however, I was shocked to see what was happening in the city my dad loved.

My father lived and worked for years in Boston. It was about a decade after he started running that he moved to the state directly to our north. He worked for New Balance, a company based on running shoes, and took me to the marathon itself year after year. I remember once driving along the course and trying to see my cousins who were running the marathon in a relay. My father ran it a number of times and when he didn’t he was always keeping tabs on it. So I’m am really glad that last year it was a big event for him. He was terribly sick and so very proud of his wife’s daughter for gaining admittance AND racing a week or so after her appendix burst. They all went up and completed the race as my dad waited it out in the hotel room. At that point my father had so very little energy, he was wheelchair bound and his wife did a wonderful job getting him there for the last possible time.

Had it not been for asbestos and the resulting cancer that took his ability to run and ultimately his life, we would’ve been able to talk about what went on that terrible afternoon, on Patriots day in the city we shared.

Season of Giving

If you are looking to give to a charity close to your heart or close to the heart of someone you care for, I urge you to think of me, of my father and of the millions of others who have been or will be touched by Mesothelioma.

In the next month and a half I am hoping to raise the final portion of my father’s fundraising goal of $100,000. I know it seems daunting, but I am only $2856.64 shy of meeting that final number. I know it can be done.

With your help we can continue his legacy, his passion, to find a cure. It is needed now more than ever.

On November 13th, 2012 ADAO released a statement and video confirming that workers in Houston, TX were exposed to asbestos while repairing the city’s water mains. These workers were not warned of the potential hazards of their job on that day back in 2011.

If only you knew the pain of watching someone die of this horrible, preventible disease. For those who don’t know, I am so happy for you. For those who do, I know your pain. The deterioration of the person you love, the withering away of a once strong & amazing individual, the hopes and dreams of the things they’ll never see again … can break even the toughest of hearts.

For those of you still reading, I’m sure you remember the New York City sky the day of the attack on September 11th, 2001. You can see the planes in the rewind of your mind, the people and the papers flying down to the earth. Do you also remember that crazy, greyish cloud people closest to the attack walked through, breathed in, and tread on? Asbestos was in so much of those structures that came tumbling down,  more than 1,000 tons of it was released into the world that day. Can you even imagine how the city’s 1st responders are doing now? I’ll tell you that not everyone is doing all that well. CNN reported a Bill was created offering 1st Responders federal medical coverage for 58 different types of cancer. CNN also reported the story of how a 9/11 Detective Dies After Battle With Lung Cancer.

It is absolutely staggering to think of how people are effected by asbestos and that it is not fully banned. It was once the ‘miracle mineral‘, but it’s effects have been far less than miraculous!

Again, I hope you will join me in giving to my father’s last charity, the Mesothelioma Foundation. Through the funding of research, trials and education there may be a cure. As my father used to write, Believe in Yourself, Believe in a Cure.

The Lives He Touched …

To say he touched a number of lives would be a huge injustice. Some days I don’t know how he did it. The names my dad remembered, the politicians he scolded, the victims, the advocates the family he loved. Beneath the gruff exterior, was the heart of a warrior and I’m proud to share with you the stories being told:

The Sun-Sentinel/Chicago Tribune staff writer Craig Davis (relation now by friendship)  Larry Davis Waged A Relentless Race For A Mesothelioma Cure

Our friends at Simmons Law wrote Keep Running: Remembering Larry Davis Mesothelioma Advocate

The wonderful woman who traveled to be with us at his funeral and leader at the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, Linda Reinstein’s heartfelt Saying Goodbye to Larry.

Longtime supporters at the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation reached out just before their amazing annual symposium, I have no idea how they even had time, by saying We Will Miss You Larry and by creating a Tribute page for donations in his honor.

Our friends at Sokolove Law in Massachusetts Remember Larry Davis; A Pioneer, Friend and Fellow Activist in the Fight Against Mesothelioma.

And of course his many, many friends in Florida who he ran with, drank with and told the best of stories with. The Runner’s Edge Foundation has named a scholarship in his honor and this will create yet another lasting legacy.

His obituary listings are here, here and here.

Please feel free to let me know of any other stories you may see out there. It helps me get through these difficult times and hopefully it will help you with the loss of this outstanding man as well.

My love,

Courtney A Davis

Five Weitz & Luxenberg Asbestos Lawyers Accustomed to Court Success Vie for Victories on Different Stage – a Beachside Cross-Country Course During Charity Race

New York City (PRWEB) January 25, 2012 read the original release

The Miles for Meso 8k Run, to be held Feb. 12 in Boca Raton, Fla., offers five of Weitz & Luxenberg’s mesothelioma lawyers an opportunity to educate the public about a deadly form of asbestos-linked cancer and to raise money to help find a cure for it. Proceeds from the 8k race and a two-mile ‘Tribute Walk’ will benefit the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, a cancer research affiliate in Alexandria, VA.

The kinds of battles asbestos attorneys at  are accustomed to winning ordinarily take place in the courtroom, but, on Feb.12, a quintet of asbestos litigators will try their collective hand at winning a different kind of contest – an 8-kilometer charity run that is a part of a fundraising event whose goal is curing mesothelioma, Weitz & Luxenberg co-founder Arthur Luxenberg today announced.

The 8k run will take place in Boca Raton, Fla., and is being organized by Larry Davis, a mesothelioma survivor and a prominent advocate of asbestos awareness. The race is part of the Miles for Meso fundraiser, which will raise money for mesothelioma research.

“We are honored to take part in sponsoring the Miles for Meso event,” said Luxenberg. “Promoting mesothelioma research is a huge priority. There are so many promising advancements in the field, but very little funding to support them. We want Weitz & Luxenberg to be a part of the push that will find a cure for mesothelioma.”

Money raised by the Miles for Meso event will benefit the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. MARF is an organization committed to funding research that seeks to cure mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

Luxenberg said that the firm, a platinum sponsor of the event, will make a direct donation to MARF.

In addition, Weitz & Luxenberg will sponsor five attorneys who will represent the firm at a mesothelioma research symposium taking place the day before the race and then run in the main event the next morning.

Len Feldman, who heads Weitz & Luxenberg’s asbestos practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, will participate in the 8k, along with Daniel Blouin and Samuel Meirowitz, mesothelioma attorneys in the firm’s New York office.

Cindy Saxey, an attorney in Weitz & Luxenberg’s Los Angeles office, will also run in the 8k, while Kevin Mulderig, an asbestos lawyer in the New Jersey office, himself a veteran exposed to asbestos, will participate in the two-mile benefit walk.

An experienced associate in Weitz & Luxenberg’s asbestos litigation unit who also runs a sub-5:00 minute mile, Blouin explained the significance of the race to his firm. “This race is about coming out and supporting the pillars of this vibrant community,” said Blouin. “The survivors, the families, the doctors – these people bring an amazing amount of energy to everything they do. Contributing to their labors is an honor.”

Race organizer Larry Davis, who in addition to his work with fundraising is a longtime member of the South Florida running community, joined forces with Weitz & Luxenberg this fall in a partnership to spread awareness about mesothelioma and raise money to help cure it.

Luxenberg said of Davis, “Larry is an amazing ally for our firm, and I am honored to support his event. His voice has given so many people hope. It’s not just about raising money for research grants; Larry changes the way people think. With Larry there is never even the slightest thought of giving up – his boundless energy is always channeled into a positive, proactive search for a cure.”

A symposium the evening before the race will feature several prominent speakers involved in mesothelioma research, including Kathy Wiedemer, MARF’s CEO, and Linda Reinstein, president and CEO of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, a nonprofit in Los Angeles whose goal is the elimination of commercial asbestos use.

Several physicians who are leaders in the field of mesothelioma treatment will not only speak at the symposium but run in the 8k race. Participating will be Dr. H. Richard Alexander, associate chairman for clinical research at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center; Dr. Raja Flores, chief of thoracic surgery at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City; and Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj of the South Florida Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant Institute.

The race, schedule to start at 7:30 Sunday morning, will be hosted by the Runner’s Edge foundation, a nonprofit organization in Boca Raton dedicated to promoting physical fitness for people across all age groups. The nearly five mile course runs through Spanish River Park between Boca Raton’s Intracoastal waters and the Atlantic coast.

While Weitz & Luxenberg’s attorneys and other members of the research community will participate in the event mostly to raise money and awareness, several elite cross country professionals are expected to attend as well.

About Weitz & Luxenberg

Founded in 1986 by attorneys Perry Weitz and Arthur Luxenberg, Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., today ranks among the nation’s leading law firms. Weitz & Luxenberg’s numerous litigation areas include: mesothelioma, defective medicine and devices, environmental pollutants, accidents, personal injury, and medical malpractice. Victims of accidents are invited to rely on Weitz & Luxenberg’s more than 20 years of handling such cases – begin by contacting the firm’s Client Relations department at 1-800-476-6070 or at clientrelations(at)weitzlux(dot)com and ask for a free legal consultation. More information: http://www.weitzlux.com

‘South Florida Miles for Meso’ Sun Sentinel Article

Courtesy the Sun Sentinel/Palm Beach edition –  with special thanks to photographer Gina Fontana (I’ll post the actual article when I have it scanned)

The third annual “South Florida Miles for Meso 8K & 2M Tribute Walk,” benefiting the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, will take place on Feb. 12 at Spanish River Park located in Boca Raton.

Pompano Beach resident and avid runner, Larry Davis, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2006, will host the race.

Each year nearly 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibers.

After a latency period of 10 to 50 years, the cancer invades the linings of the lungs, abdomen and heart.

There is currently no known cure for mesothelioma.

This year Davis will team up with the Runner’s Edge Foundation (REF) to help promote healthy living.

REF promotes running and physical fitness for people of all ages. The foundation also supports groups and organizations in pursuit of running and physical fitness through teams, programs, competitions and educational means.

“My stepmother passed away a few years ago from cancer after a very long and difficult battle. I was very close to her and seeing Larry in a difficult cancer battle is something close to me … while I can never truly understand, I can support his fight,” said REF creator, Tom Vladimir.

A post-race party will include an awards ceremony, food, beverages, bounce house and more. To register for the race, visit http://www.Active.com.

A pre-race mesothelioma symposium will take place on Feb. 11th at the Hilton Hotel Deerfield/Boca from 3 to 7 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet leading experts in mesothelioma cancer research.

For more information about the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, visit http://www.curemeso.org.

(L-R) Ken Butalewicz, Susie Simms, John May and Courtney May, 11.------Special to the Sun-Sentinel, Photo by Gina Fontana