NY Mesothelioma Lawyers Sponsor Annual Run to Benefit Mesothelioma Research
EAST MEADOW, New York (PRWEB) April 15, 2015 -- NY Mesothelioma Lawyers and staff of Levy Konigsberg LLP (“LK”) joined fellow supporters to proudly participate in the 10th Annual New York 5K Walk/Run for Hope, which took place on April 12, 2015. Almost 200 people met in Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, Long Island to raise money and awareness for those individuals, families, and friends that continue to battle or have valiantly fought and perished from this terrible disease. All proceeds raised will go to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation), a 501 (c) (3) organization that has awarded over $9 million in grants for mesothelioma research since its inception in 2000.
Mesothelioma is an extremely rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Its most common form affects the lining of the lungs (pleural mesothelioma); however, it has also been found invading the lining of the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma), the heart (pericardial mesothelioma) and the testes (testicular mesothelioma). In the United States, about 3,500 patients are diagnosed with mesothelioma annually, while the disease has yet to get a national spotlight for research and funding.
This aggressive, incurable cancer continues to be a threat to men and women across our nation. Due to the long latency of the disease, most people are not aware of the hazard that was caused by asbestos exposure until some 20-40 years after the exposure took place. Additionally, with the horrific events that transpired in New York City on September 11, 2001, we continue to see the devastation of asbestos exposure exhibited in patients diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.
Families, advocates, physicians, and researchers have joined the Meso Foundation for a common goal, concentrated on eradicating the vicious, often lethal, effects of mesothelioma. Two Long Island women, Erica Iacono and Janice Malkotsis, have made it their life’s mission to work together to raise awareness and funds for the Foundation – hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past ten years and counting. The women have teamed up to turn their personal family tragedies into a positive future for those who suffer from mesothelioma. Erica’s father, Anthony Iacono, a NYC school teacher, was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in March 2000 and died just seven weeks later. Janice’s father, Joseph Lombardo, a construction and glass worker, was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma in 2003 and passed away less than two years later. Since then, both Erica and Janice have dedicated their lives to bring hope to other patients and families by raising money for research that can discover new treatments - and one day, a cure.
Levy Konigsberg was honored to be a Gold Level Sponsor and top overall sponsor for the 10th Annual 5k Walk/Run for Hope. Mesothelioma trial attorney Donald P. Blydenburgh, who has deep roots in Long Island and grew up playing on the ballfields of Eisenhower Park, was invited to speak to the crowd of supporters before the Walk: “In the years I have been representing individuals and families affected by this terrible cancer, I have known one definitive truth – mesothelioma affects the good, the kind-hearted, the salt of the earth; and that truth is again exemplified in Erica and Janice, who each took their personal loss and turned it into 10 years of positivity and perseverance, to raise awareness and money for research to find a cure so that others never have to know the tragedy of mesothelioma. What they have done is truly inspiring, and we should applaud their heroic efforts.” LK’s NY mesothelioma lawyers have been devoted sponsors of the 5k Walk/Run for Hope for several years, and the firm’s attorneys and staff have participated in this annual event since 2010.
For additional information, please visit http://www.curemeso.org or call 1.800.637.6529.
Jerome H. Block, Levy Konigsberg LLP, http://www.levylaw.com/jblock.php, +1 (212) 605-6200, [email protected]
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