A Lesson in Courage From Mesothelioma Patient John McNamara
Raising the advocacy bar: John McNamara: Devoted husband, family man, and mesothelioma patient.
In November, 2007, John McNamara and his family attended a mesothelioma symposium in Washington, DC. John was widely admired as a donor, spokesman, and leader for the patient community with a spirit that inspired everyone he met. Not only did he need the symposium to spread his message - the symposium needed him to make a difference in the lives of other mesothelioma patients. One month earlier, John was told that his cancer had returned and had metastasized to his spine. His physician advised him to stay home, but that was not an option for John.
“I met John shortly after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma,” said friend and attorney John Caron. “After five minutes you realize you’re spending time with a lifelong friend. He took on life with extraordinary energy, and his fight against mesothelioma was the same way. He didn’t know the meaning of rest.”
As planned, John joined his “band of mesothelioma brothers” in DC, advocating for increased medical research for this unrelenting disease. At his side, his beautiful children and his wife, TC, the love of his life for over thirty years. A mesothelioma patient remarked: “If you spent one minute around this dynamic duo you felt that everything was possible.”
When he was first diagnosed with mesothelioma, local doctors soberly predicted that John only had a few months to live, and that aggressive treatments would be futile. They were wrong.
“You know, if it wasn’t for Dr. Cameron, I wouldn’t be here,” John said during a break at the symposium. “I wouldn’t be anywhere. This cancer, I don’t have time for it. I have young children to raise and important things to do — like making sure they get good report cards.”
“John was an incredible warrior who approached mesothelioma like he approached life, with individuality, vigor and courage,” said Dr. Robert Cameron, thoracic surgeon at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine who operated on John in November, 2005.
“He never acknowledged the suffering that he endured, even to the end. John dedicated himself to helping others with the disease, even when his own life was in jeopardy.”
John knew that his own experience with mesothelioma was invaluable, and rather than dwell on his own situation he took every opportunity to support the cause of eradicating mesothelioma. Whether meeting with legislators, encouraging patients, or interrogating researchers, he inspired those around him with his courage, good cheer and eternal hope.
“He was an empowering, courageous man,” says Linda Reinstein, executive director and co-founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO). “He told me about his next great goal-to climb Half Dome. That sheer granite face that looks impossible, but can be conquered if you take it one step at a time.” John hoped to conquer mesothelioma the same way.
On Thursday evening John joined the mesothelioma community on the steps of our nation’s Capitol, to participate in a candlelight vigil honoring those who had succumbed to the ravages of asbestos. His advocacy work along with the work of thousands of others had coalesced into something concrete: passage of U.S. Senator Patty Murray’s Ban Asbestos Act by the Senate. It was a start.
The relentless pace and pressure of the symposium began to accumulate, and after two full days of advocacy and networking, John slowly began to weaken. He decided to spend the next day “resting”, which translated into sightseeing with his family. It was a struggle, but he did it.
However, late that afternoon, paralysis set in, and John was unable to leave his hotel room. Conference attendee Dr. Robert Cameron attended to John in the McNamara’s hotel room. John’s philosophy was simple: If mesothelioma would take him down, it would be in the service of the people who needed him, surrounded by those who loved him.
When John arrived back in Los Angeles, his condition was critical. Rushed to the emergency room at UCLA, he succumbed in the early morning hours, which brings to mind the wise words of a woman whose beloved husband was similarly felled: “When the end of mesothelioma comes as a shock, you know he has lived a courageous life.” Doctors believe that the likely cause of John’s death was pneumonia brought on by an aggressive infection.
TC McNamara has continued John’s legacy by establishing the John McNamara Foundation and she works tirelessly on behalf of mesothelioma patients and their families to make change. She strongly supports the work of Dr. Robert Cameron, and we encourage you to visit her website: www.thejohnmcnamarafoundation.org
December 2, 2008