The John McNamara Foundation - Asbestos Information

John and I would look at this picture and laugh, he sent it to all that we knew, and called it “Meso in Paradise”. This picture was taken shortly before John, died. It shows our friend Bob Treggett and John both “Meso Warriors” have a great laugh near our home in Hawaii. Bob Treggett was one of the first people we ever met with this nightmare, his support was overwhelming. It was easy to become fast friends with this gentle man. He helped us through our rough patch in the beginning and offered support when we needed it, funny how quickly we became sources of unique info to each other. Today it saddens me to say the entire meso community has lost another brave warrior and we lost another friend to this unbearable nightmare. I would be lying if I hadn’t asked myself a hundred times what did we do wrong that Bob was diagnosed first and so strong after my boy left, secretly angry sometimes and always jealous that the outcome came my boy first. But Saturday my heartfelt, that sharp jab in between the shoulder blades, Bob’s time was approaching FAST. Now at a loss of words that should not have gone unsaid, and the pain I feel for his family starting yet another battle which all too often seems endless also. My family and I want to take this opportunity to wish Bob gods speed, and god bless. Rest in peace, our friend and thank you for all your help. Our thoughts are with your family and we wish them great peace in this quiet time. You will be missed but not forgotten, and when you get there Bob, give John a kiss for me.

Although this is intended to hurt us, this is one on my boy's better tributes, even though he left more than 30 years ago, it shows the impact he had over everyone.

John McNamara speaks to us today with the same power, conviction, enthusiasm, and vitality that he always did. Although John passed away from pleural mesothelioma on October 8, 2007, the cancer failed to rob him of his voice.

John's voice lives first and foremost inside our hearts and our minds as we recall the things he said about struggle, about the good fight, and about never giving up or surrending so much as an inch. His voice lives with us as well through this wife T.C.

No woman ever loved a man more deeply than T.C. loved John. No wife ever honored her husband more than T.C. honored John. And no advocate ever carried on a cause with more conviction and sincerity than T.C.'s actions on behalf of asbestos disease victims. Where mesothelioma has ravaged families, ruined lives, and left misery in its wake, T.C. has taken the memory of John and here experiences living through his illness and transformed them into a powerful voice for positive changes. When T.C. speaks, we all listen.

We have been honored to know these two courageous people and to be inspired by their goodness. We have been awed by what they have accomplished out of an irrepressible desire to do what is right. We have seen that the love and courage they sowed has resulted in a harvest of hope among friends, loved ones, and complete strangers. ADAO's commitment to the cause if reflected in its work and its honoring of people like John and T.C. We are both humbled and proud to stand by their side.

"United for Abestos Disease Awareness, Education,
Advocacy, Prevention, Support and a Cure."
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
is a registered 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization.
1525 Aviation Boulevard, Suite 318 - Redondo Beach, CA 90278 - 310.347.3886
www.AsbestosDiseaseAwareness.org

"Life is not measured by the breathes you take, but the memories that take your breath away."

We remember all the heroes and their families that have fought the fight against mesothelioma and we applaud the Asbestos Disease Awareness Foundation for their tireless efforts. ADAO is on the forefront, demanding changes in the law, increasing research and educational funding, and providing comfort and support to those in need.

Within minutes of meeting John "JMac" McNamara, I realized he was special. No nonsense, engaging, tell it as it was, he was upbeat, despite coming from a round of radiation therapy. His passion and presence were palpable, I knew I would have my hands full in the coming months and boy did I. Working with both JMac and TC, I came to appreciate their focus on family and their unrelenting efforts to help others struggling with mesothelioma.

The stories surrounding the life of JMac are legend and anyone who met him has a special JMac story. Operating his crane broken legged with a self-made brace; meals prepared and served to coworkers working long hours in the field; trips bearing truckloads of toys to local children's hospitals; engagng total strangers in conversation; the apartment lovingly provided for other mesothelioma victims, decorated by JMac and TC's daughter.

My own favorite JMac story reflects the priority of family in his life. Trial was starting however it conflicted with a preplanned trip to Washington DC with his family. There was no choice, Jmac went AWOL from the trial. The judge could wait, his girls could not. Following the trial, I received a special visit, JMac and TC loaded down with dozens of cases of Diet Coke, the perfect thank you.

I saw JMac and TC a month before his passing at the dedication of their apartment for mesothelioma victims. His passion for life, his girls and others remained at his core and he spoke excitedly about the coming Mesothelioma Symposium in Washington DC.

TC continues on showing the world that JMac, was her "special someone".The memory of JMac is forever seared in my thoughts and he will not be forgotten.

—Joy L. Sparling

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Waters & Kraus LLP
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El Segundo, CA 90245
(800) 226-9880
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In honor of the ones we love...

John McNamara

Honored Posthumously

The Alan Reinstein Memorial Award

by Linda Reinstein, ADAO Executive Director and Cofounder

Irrepressible, indomitable, courageous and irresistible are adjectives which spring to mind when I think about my friend John McNamara. He was a man of great passion, huge funds of energy and an inexhaustible supply of good will. At the age of 61, John was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a diagnosis which set him off on the ultimate quest for a cure not only for himself but for all fellow sufferers. He was a highly visible supporter of asbestos research charities, a Congressional lobbyist for the needs of asbestos victims and an activist in the ban asbestos in America campaign. His search for a cure took him to UCLA where the treatment he received from thoracic surgeon Dr. Robert Cameron bought him two more precious years. Appreciating the good fortune of easy access to Dr. Cameron through the happenstance of living near Los Angeles, John and his wife, the formidable T.C., made an apartment in L.A. available for mesothelioma patients who traveled to LA to consult Dr. Cameron.

A man of boundless energy, one of John’s goals for 2007 was to climb Half Dome in Yosemite. He would have too but for the tumor which metastasized on his spine. Instead of staying at home to prepare for an operation, John set off for the 2007 Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation conference in Washington D.C. He met up with old friends and made new friends of everyone he met; he took part in the candlelight vigil held by the mesothelioma community on Capitol hill and gave his wholehearted support to Senator Patty Murray’s Ban Asbestos Act. As so often is the case with mesothelioma, the end came like a bolt from the blue. Upon returning
to California, John was taken to the UCLA emergency room, a few hours later he was gone.

The world was a better place with John McNamara in it. His loss is keenly felt not only by his beloved wife T.C. and his daughters Nicolette, Shannon and Katherine, but by all of us in the U.S. mesothelioma community. We have lost a dear friend and comrade. To honor his memory, he has been chosen to receive the Alan Reinstein Memorial 2008 for his commitment to advocacy to eradicate mesothelioma and offer support to patients and their families.

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization is a registered 501(c) (3) nonprofit volunteer organization
"United for Asbestos Disease Awareness, Education, Advocacy, Prevention, Support and a Cure"
1525 Aviation Boulevard, Suite 318 Redondo Beach,California 90278 310.437.3886
www.AsbestosDiseaseAwareness.org
2008 Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization Honoree

San Pedro, CA - October 8, 2007
John McNamara's voice fell silent, once and for all, on October 8, 2007. The voice of a champion, the voice of a husband, the voice of a father, the voice of a patient, the voice of a veteran, the voice of a hero, the voice of an advocate, the voice of a friend, the voice of a man demanding justice, the voice of a seer, the voice of a fighter, the voice of a peacemaker--each of these myriad voices and a thousand more fell silent on Sunday, more than three years after John was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma.

The reverberations of John McNamara's voices, however, resonate with the same strength and power as on any other day, because the voice of truth speaks forever.

"I met John shortly after he was diagnosed," 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 meso was the same way. He didn't know the meaning of rest. Shortly after surgery he was walking, hiking, then calling from the top of Diamond Head with his daughters, laughing to say he'd passed a bunch of younger people, none of whom appeared to have mesothelioma. That's the same energy he poured back into the meso community."

Unbowed, unafraid
Like tens of thousands before him, John was struck down by mesothelioma in the prime of his life. Even with mesothelioma, at the age of 61 John's "prime of life" was a force to reckon with. Two days before he died, John and his beloved T.C. were in Washington, D.C. with their "band of meso brothers" advocating for increased medical research on this dreaded disease.

The foundation of his life was his marriage to T.C. More than thirty years of passion, love, commitment, struggle, and partnership had molded John into the iron man-mountain that he was. Despite the bad odds, the frequent hospital visits, and the roller coaster of emotions all cancer survivors ride, if you spent one minute around this dynamic duo you felt that everything was possible. After his surgery, radiation therapy, and interferon treatments, John seemed to be riding the crest of a beautiful wave, propelled by powerful forces, without end.

Even when the end came, his doctors puzzled over the exact precipitating cause. John suffered a recurrence of his cancer in early September, but his doctors opined that the likely cause of death was pneumonia brought on by an aggressive and swift infection.

"John was an incredible warrior who approached mesothelioma like he approached life, with individuality, vigor and courage," reflected 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," continued Dr. Cameron, who helped treat John at his hotel in Washington when John suddenly developed severe pain in his back and numbness while the two were attending a mesothelioma medical symposium. "John dedicated himself to helping others with the disease, even when his own life was in jeopardy. His passing will be a sad loss for the entire mesothelioma community."

John and T.C. were always thankful for the extra time they believed Dr. Cameron gave them. When he was first diagnosed, local doctors soberly predicted that John only had a few months to live, and that aggressive treatments would be futile.

Good works from the heart of a great man
The McNamaras understood that mesothelioma patients faced a gauntlet once they received their diagnosis. The biggest hurdle is access to treatment. For patients who live far from the East or West coasts, travel and lodging logistics consume precious time, money, and emotional energy.

Having gone through the wringer, John immediately put himself in the shoes of those not fortunate enough to live near UCLA, and for whom a consultation at UCLA's mesothelioma program with Dr. Cameron would be an unbearable burden. The McNamaras decided to help ease the burden for others. They rented an apartment, furnished it, and made it available for free to mesothelioma patients visiting Los Angeles to consult with Dr. Cameron.

Kerry Kelley, whose husband Kermit underwent surgery in October and who stayed at the McNamara's mesothelioma apartment, calls the McNamaras "a godsend. John and T.C. didn't know us. But they knew what we were going through. We couldn't have done this without them."

John knew that his own experience with mesothelioma was invaluable, and rather than dwell on his own situation he took every opportunity to contribute and to support the cause of eradicating mesothelioma. Every year at the MARF mesothelioma symposium, John was there. Slapping backs, importuning legislators, encouraging patients, interrogating researchers, he awed those around him with his courage and good cheer. Hope, the resource always in shortest supply for mesothelioma patients, was as close as John's ten-acre smile, in unlimited quantities.

"He was an empowering, courageous man," says Linda Reinstein, executive director and co-founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization. "He told me about his next great goal-to climb Half Dome. That unconquerable, sheer granite face that looks impossible, but that you can get up if you take it one step at a time. It's a meso march. One step at a time. And John had it in his sights."

John's "Bully Pulpit"
When the 2007 conference came around, John cheerfully made plans to attend once again as a donor, spokesman, and leader for the patient community. Before the October symposium, however, he learned that his cancer had returned. This time it had metastasized as a tumor on his spine. His physician counseled him to stay at home and gather his strength for an operation to remove the tumor.

Stay at home? John McNamara? Miss the most important mesothelioma advocacy conference of the year due to a life-threatening tumor? Refuse to mount the steps and hold forth from his bully pulpit? For John McNamara, the risks were worth the reward.
He packed his bags and arrived at the conference full of vigor and ready to lead the charge one more time. On Thursday evening John joined the mesothelioma community on the steps of our nation's Capitol, where he lent his powerful voice to a candlelight vigil honoring those who had succumbed to the ravages of asbestos. His voice and the voices of thousands of others had coalesced into something concrete: passage of U.S. Senator Patty Murray's Ban Asbestos Act.

"You know, if it wasn't for Dr. Cameron, I wouldn't be here," John mused on Thursday. "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's priorities were grounded in the bedrock of his family. He felt that his obligations as a father were the most important ones he had, and he had no intentions of letting meso interfere.

The symposium saw John at his full-blown best, making new friends who walked away feeling like they'd known him since childhood. He chatted up countless strangers, people who lost "stranger" status after the first five seconds, and lectured them about the importance of investing in real estate. If you had a hand, and you were at the 2007 symposium, it was shaken by John McNamara. If you had a soul, he looked into it, and left you smiling.

Jessica Like, executive director of the Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, spoke eloquently about John and his journey. “Three days ago I was present when Senator Patty Murray said, ‘When someone with great passion dies, that passion is passed along to someone else,’ as she addressed a congregation of mesothelioma patients. As I listened to her speech sitting next to T.C., I thought about John’s absolute passion for life. Every day he brought hope to other mesothelioma patients by sharing his story, by donating time and money, and by spreading the word about mesothelioma and our need to find a cure. Over this past weekend I watched John smile as he told others about traveling, raising his children, being a doting grandfather and husband, and in his spare time, battling to fund mesothelioma research and help pass legislation that would ban asbestos forever in this country. His great passion was contagious and he bestowed it upon the hundreds of people he touched. We have all been robbed of John McNamara, but we will carry the legacy of his passion in our hearts forever.”

The voice that none could silence
The relentless pace and pressure of the symposium began to accumulate. Going full-bore all day Thursday and Friday, John's massive frame slowly began to weaken. His method of rest? Taking the afternoon off on Friday to go sightseeing. John struggled to get from the front door of the hotel to the elevator, taking baby steps.

Late that afternoon, the paralysis set in, and John did not leave his room that evening. A first. Then John missed the group photo that night at dinner. A first.

Bowed, never broken, he made the stand of a giant at his last MARF conference, refusing to let the disease deprive him of so much as a single word. If meso would take him down, it would be in the service of the people who needed him, surrounded by those who loved him, calling out in righteousness and good cheer that this disease must be cured now.

By Sunday night, when John's plane touched down in Los Angeles, his condition was critical. Rushed to the emergency room at UCLA, he succumbed in the early morning hours.

The speed and finality of John's passing has left us all stunned, bringing to mind the wise words of another whose beloved husband was similarly felled: "When the end of mesothelioma comes as a shock, you know he has lived a courageous life."
Better, more fitting words for a titan like John have never been said.

John is survived by his wife T.C., and his three children Nicollette Annie, Shannon Hayley, and Katherine Claire.

59-Year-Old Crane Operator and Former Body Builder Does Heavy Lifting to Beat Mesothelioma for the Many Women in His Life. Chatsworth, CA

You instantly notice John McNamara when he walks into a room. A burly figure, with a grayish beard and ruddy cheeks, John is the spitting image of Kenny Rogers, the country western singer. Intimidating? Not a chance. More like charismatic. He’s one of those guys you just know has a story and wants to tell it. More often than not, his stories are about his wife and children. John and T.C. have been married for over thirty years.

AN UNTAMED SPIRIT
John is an active man who would never blink at a broken bone. In fact, he once broke his left leg in a skiing accident, and shortly thereafter, broke his right leg at work. While at work, John took the brace from his left leg and actually molded it to fit his right leg, setting the bone before driving himself to the hospital. When he got to the hospital, the doctors found that John had done such a good job setting the bone, that there was nothing more they could do! He’s never been afraid of a little pain.

Although just shy of 60 years old, John was not ready to slow down. As a crane operator, he had no problem with climbing up tall tower cranes and nimbly maneuvering the booms and winches with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. He was working steadily at his job until August 2005 when he began to have shortness of breath and pain in his lower back.

At first, John attributed his shortness of breath and cough to a simple cold virus. But the symptoms became serious enough to push John to visit the emergency room at Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills, California in early August 2005. At the hospital, chest films were taken that revealed fluid build up in his lung cavity. To relieve the pressure, the doctors performed a thoracentesis, withdrawing over one liter of pleural fluid. John recalls they used a big needle, and once the skin was punctured the fluid “started shooting out like a fire hose.” The fluid was sent out for testing, and the results showed mesothelial and atypical cells, but it was not conclusively malignant. John’s doctors kept him in the hospital for continued observation.

REJUVENATION IN A HAWAIIAN GETAWAY
The McNamaras had planned a family trip to Hawaii at the end of August. But, as the scheduled day of departure approached, John was laid up in a hospital. He was feeling better and growing restless. The doctors agreed to discharge him, and John spent the next month with his family on tropical shores. His trip was rejuvenating, and he only had occasional problems with breathing.

When the family returned to California the next month, John returned to Holy Cross Hospital for more testing. In September 2005, John underwent another thoracentesis where doctors removed two liters of fluid behind his right lung cavity. This time around, testing of the fluid returned a confirmed diagnosis of malignant pleural epithelial mesothelioma. His doctor painted a very bleak future coping with mesothelioma and wrongly gave him only a two-month prognosis. The only so-called advice offered by the uninformed doctor was to get busy doing the “five best things you ever wanted to do.” John immediately replied that he just wanted to be with his family and live out life on his own terms. However, when it came down to it, John really wanted to fight for his life.

ASSEMBLING A TREATMENT PATHWAY
The McNamaras did not take this grim prediction lying down. For the next month, they searched high and low for doctors who had experience treating mesothelioma. Most of the doctors they talked to simply suggested chemotherapy. None offered any hope. John and T.C. did not accept the gloom and doom. Finally, T.C. found hope with Dr. Robert Cameron, the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at UCLA Medical School in Los Angeles, California.

They met Dr. Cameron in the fall of 2005 at the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF) symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada. They learned that Dr. Cameron’s approach to surgery is far different than most. Instead of performing an extra-pleural pneumonectomy (“EPP”), a radical surgery involving removal of the tumor along with all of the encased lung, the pleurectomy/decortication procedure ("P/D") that Dr. Cameron performs involves meticulously removing the tumor and leaving the lung intact. Dr. Cameron’s procedure affords patients a much better post surgical quality of life and, when followed by radiation and immunotherapy, has produced median survival rates far in excess of that associated with the EPP procedure.

John was convinced that Dr. Cameron’s plan afforded him the best opportunity for long term survival. Dr Cameron performed the P/D surgery in November, 2005. The procedure lasted approximately eight hours, far longer than the alternative EPP procedure, but Dr. Cameron was able to remove the tumor and leave John with the use of his right lung.

John’s experience in the hospital after the surgery was challenging. John has never been able to lie on his back comfortably, and following surgery, he could not lie on his right side either because of all the protruding drainage tubes and surgical incisions. So John spent eleven days lying on his left side, trying to recuperate. He spent sleepless nights there, every breath painful with four chest tubes for seven days. Two tubes were removed on the seventh day and the other two removed on the tenth. As he started to recover from his surgery, however, John began to have atrial fibrillation or an abnormal heartbeat, which continued to keep him in the hospital. T.C. never left his side. Finally, after eleven days, the hospital released him to his family.

After he recovered sufficiently, John began radiation therapy which lasted from late January through mid March, 2006. Following radiation, he had another CT scan that revealed abnormalities in his right lung. Dr. Cameron attributed these abnormalities in part to surgery, radiation, and the tumor itself.

Two months later in May, John embarked on the next phase of treatment. He began taking low doses of interferon to help bulk up his own immune system to combat the mesothelioma. Interferon is a relatively new treatment option for mesothelioma patients, but has shown good results for some patients.

However, after administering the interferon for one month, John’s shortness of breath grew worse. By the middle of June 2006, he decided to discontinue the interferon medication. According to Dr. Cameron, increased shortness of breath is a rare side effect of the interferon treatment that occurs with some patients.

John discussed future treatment options with Dr. Cameron, including the benefits and drawbacks of chemotherapy. Ultimately, John decided against it. Since June 2006, the only treatments he takes are painkillers to help soothe any soreness in his chest.

LIFE AFTER SURGERY
Even though the surgery went well, John was distraught physically from residual pain and medicinal side effects. He had to take so many drugs (just in the first month he worked down from three pills every three hours to one pill every five hours) that he became nervous about how the medicine was affecting him.

In the months following his surgery, John found it difficult not to partake in all of the physical activities he shared with his young daughters prior to his diagnosis. But, instead of lying on the couch and feeling sorry for himself while life passed him by, John began going on walks with his girls, first around a local shopping mall, then, when he could make it up the stairs, he joined them on hikes in the trails around their home, eventually making it to the top of the notorious look-out hill.

In August of 2006, John decided to take his family back to Hawaii for another family vacation. Perhaps the trip was just what John needed because he found that he was able to enjoy walking on the beach and even a little climbing. John felt a special sense of accomplishment when he hiked with his daughters to the top of Diamond Head. John proudly boasts that he passed many other hikers on the way up and celebrated with a “Rocky Balboa-like” victory dance at the top.

It’s no secret that John attributes much of the success he has experienced to date in his battle against mesothelioma to the work of Dr. Cameron. On August 4, 2006, John had a follow up visit with Dr. Cameron, and a PET/CT scan of his chest, abdomen, and pelvis on September 29, 2006. Results from these scans indicated a possible recurrence of the tumor. Dr. Cameron advised John that another PET/CT scan is needed as well as another bronchoscopy to determine the disease’s progression.

Even through this, John has not lost hope; he continues to live every day fully. He returned again to the third annual Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation symposium during October 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. At the symposium John shared his story. He spoke about pain, about the support of family, and of finding the best medical treatment available. He even shared a picture taken of his victory dance atop Diamond Head Mountain with the other attendees, including Senator Dick Durbin who spoke about the need for asbestos reform and mesothelioma funding.

Today we come together to celebrate and honor Alan. A kind, wise, loving, and patient man who touched so many lives.

For 24 years, we have shared one heart. I married my best friend; he is our rock and my soul mate forever.

Alan was a loving, loyal, and dedicated husband, father, grandfather, and friend.

Jack and Esther gave birth to Alan in 1939. They were amazing role models and showered Alan with love.

Although Alan was an only child, his Krall cousins were like brothers and sisters. He shared many memories with me about their summers in Connecticut.

As a father, Alan was the quintessential “Dad.” He dearly loved Jeff, Elizabeth, and Emily; his pride for them was immeasurable. As a devoted father, family always came first. I still smile when I think about Alan wearing Emily's handmade father's day tie to work.

Only a month ago, Elizabeth, Isabel, Esme, Emily, Alan, and I spent a day enjoying Disneyland – from the Tea Cups to the Tiki Room. Just last Sunday, we went to see Emily receive a distinguished student award for the “Exemplification of Jewish Values.” There was no holding Alan back when it came to his family.

Alan's integrity, knowledge, and management style brought him great success; he was a mentor to many. Alan was a quiet and secure man, who unconditionally loved and unselfishly gave. Integrity was monumentally important to Alan. He lived his values everyday. Last year Alan got the greatest joy from teaching literacy to students at MBMS.

Alan loved adventures and travel; we lived life to the fullest. I have fond memories of climbing Half Dome, trekking through Thai jungles on elephants, running marathons, and sharing Alan's greatest hobby – flying single engine airplanes.

Alan always talked about his first kiss for Emily. When Emily was a baby, Alan would sit with her and sing songs such as, "Who's the pretty girl in the mirror", "You are my sunshine," and "Don't fence me in"?. Oh, the love they shared.

Emily and I smiled at some of our favorite memories with Alan. When Emily was about seven, Alan took the challenge of teaching Emily how to ride a bike. Just like learning to ride a bike, Alan guided Emily throughout her life, giving her lessons and values to live by forever and gave Emily the freedom to soar using the tools he gave her.

For Alan's 60 th birthday, Emily and I surprised him with a trip to one of his favorite places, Israel. We went to the Wailing Wall and put in notes to his parents. Our connection to Judaism deeply grew.

Just last January, Alan met one of his many goals by hearing Emily chant Torah, as she became Bat Mitzvah. In reflection, this will only be one of our most cherished family memories.

Alan always took care of his family. Three weeks ago, he asked me to finish the house repairs. On Thursday, Emily and I went to visit Alan in the hospital and showed him our ideas for colors for the walls. One of my many crazy ideas was to go bold and paint one room YELLOW! When Emily showed Alan the yellow color pallet, his eyes widened with fear and smiled as he told Emily to protect him from the yellow. Which we did. Maybe we will paint a yellow wall, in memory of Alan's humor.

For nearly three years, Alan courageously fought his battle against mesothelioma. He never complained about his surgeries or treatment nor did he ever look back. Alan drew strength from his will to live and love of family and friends. Our village and of course Sonia, helped us everyday to make sure Alan was always at home.

Alan shared his courage and strength with many other patients. We have received condolences from Australia to Slovenia . We are not the only ones mourning the loss of Alan. As President of ADAO, Alan became a leader for asbestos disease awareness. He has left a legacy.

He was a great teacher about living each day, especially during this past year. He was fueled by faith, hope, love, and humor. Emily was his sweet nectar, and indeed the best medicine. Alan knew everyday that he was surrounded by love. Our love grew even stronger during these past years and we talked openly about our feelings. Alan had no regrets in life.

Monday was a perfect day for Alan; he loved the smell and sound of rain. In the last moments of Alan's life, Emily quoted one of his favorite songs and said, "We didn't fence Daddy in.” Emily and I will continue to look for rainbows.

Alan wanted everyone to celebrate today. We are left with wonderful memories and lessons learned from Alan.