MESOTHELIOMA CANCER

Man suffering from lung disease crusades against asbestos

Most people with mesothelioma do not live to talk about it eight years after they are diagnosed. Most don't survive two years.

His own diagnosis came with a doctor's advice for his wife: Take him home and get his affairs in order.

"Certainly we've been blessed," he said. Surprising to hear, perhaps, until he explains.

He has been blessed because he was diagnosed quickly and got the best possible care, much of it right here in West Virginia. And blessed because he has been able to watch his beautiful daughter grow up and prepare for college.

"We ultimately may lose the war, but we're not going to lose every battle, every day," he said. "We go on trips and vacations. I have coached Little League baseball. The Lord blessed us with a treatment-free summer."

He has two big goals right now: To see his daughter off to college; and to eliminate the mining, production and use of asbestos everywhere.

Mesothelioma is linked to asbestos exposure and doctors believe that is what caused Lake's cancer.