As a teen in Oxfordshire, England, 70 year-old Terry Latham excelled in sports. “I was tall and tough,” he recalls with a grin.  “I played rugby. I was fast. I set all kinds of records. Looking back, sports saved me.”

From 1948 to 1959, Terry lived and attended school at the Kingham Hill School Orphanage, a place that valued basic survival skills. He both avoided and ended many a scrape, thanks in part to his strength and cunning.  He learned that bullys were simply cowards with brawn and once he overcame his fears they were just another bump in the road.

Walter “Wally” Nielsen and his lovely wife, Arleen, sit surrounded by comfort and beauty – testaments to their hard work and creativity. A well-tended garden is a riot of spring color, but the leaden sky and cool drizzle portend another side of the Nielsens' seemingly idyllic life.

You wouldn’t know it from his easy going manner and natural smile, but Wally is battling an insidious cancer. This diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma came as a shock to Wally, a tall, fit, active, 74 year-old lifetime nonsmoker.

John McNamara succumbed to mesothelioma in November of 2007, following a trip to Washington DC to speak with congress about asbestos exposure and the ravages of mesothelioma. John was treated by Dr. Robert Cameron.

What follows is a labor of love produced by John’s wife, TC McNamara. TC has been a tireless advocate for the complete eradication of asbestos in the United States and is well known in Washington DC for her tenacity, passion, and desire to help others suffering with mesothelioma.

In 2006, Tony Chomo was involved in a motorcycle accident. But, his injuries seemed minor, and Tony went home. One month later, he found himself having a hard time breathing normally.  Tony went to the emergency room at Northridge Hospital. An EKG ruled out a heart attack, but fluid was found surrounding his lung, and was drained.  Tests on the fluid revealed abnormal mesothelial cancer cells, and Tony was diagnosed was malignant pleural mesothelioma.

When Erwin Bergquist, a three-year mesothelioma survivor and patient of Dr. Robert Cameron, came in for his regular check-up in May, 2008, he handed Dr. Cameron a check without saying a word.  The check was for $150,000.00 — the largest single gift from a patient in the history of PMC.

David Vanderhyde was diagnosed with pleural malignant mesothelioma (epithelial type - epithelium are tissue membranes that line the internal organs),  in October 2006, and  was instructed by his oncologist to begin chemotherapy right away.  A month later, he began the standard regimen of Alimta with Cisplatin, however, his oncologist included a non-standard targeted therapy drug as well called Avastin (Bevacizumab), which is not a chemotherapy drug but rather an anti-angiogenesis therapy.

As Larry Kinseth, his wife Shari, and their daughter repacked their bags to leave Los Angeles for home in Iowa, Larry shared some insight on his treatment for pleural mesothelioma, excitement on seeing his grandchildren, and plans for many upcoming golf games. Larry was 68 years old when he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, epithelial type.  Seeking the best treatment, Larry met with a local oncologist, later flew to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, but eventually landed in Los Angeles to undergo Dr. Robert Cameron’s treatment protocol.