Johns Hopkins Mesothelioma Treatment

Hopkins’ vision brought to life

Hopkins’ appointed a board of trustees to carry out his vision of creating an environment that would attract the top medical professionals and educators to direct both the hospital and university.

In his last months, Hopkins outlined clearly his ongoing vision for the hospital. In an excerpt from a letter to his trustees, Hopkins says:

“The indigent sick of this city and its environs, without regard to sex, age, or color, who may require surgical or medical treatment, and who can be received into the hospital without peril to the other inmates, and the poor of this city and state, of all races, who are stricken down by any casualty, shall be received into the hospital, without charge.… You will also provide for the reception of a limited number of patients who are able to make compensation for the room and attention they may require…you will thus be enabled to afford to strangers, and to those of our own people who have no friends or relatives to care for them in sickness, and who are not objects of charity, the advantage of careful and skillful treatment.

“It will be your especial duty to secure for the service of the hospital, surgeons and physicians of the highest character and of the greatest skills….”

Upon his death on Christmas Eve of 1873, Hopkins’ left $7 million to his namesake university and hospital; at that time, Hopkins’ philanthropic bequest was the largest in U.S. history.

Sadly, Hopkins never got to see any of his plans come to fruition in his lifetime; although a site had been selected and razed, no buildings had yet been designed, let alone built. Nevertheless, the trustees were eager to fulfill Hopkins’ vision, appointing reputable hospital planner and surgeon John Shaw Billings to oversee the development. 

Excavation of the property began in 1877, and construction was eventually completed 12 years later, with seventeen hospital buildings encircling an open courtyard. Buildings included two private and four regular wards, an apothecary building, a pathology building, and a home for the nurses. 
Overseen by architect Niernsee, Billings brought forth innovative, progressive principles when planning the development, designing facilities that would significantly limit the spread of disease.

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a cancerous tumor that forms in the tissue lining of the lungs, heart, stomach, and other organs. This rare and aggressive cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos, as the deadly mineral’s fibers are either inhaled or ingested into the body, where they lodge into delicate organ tissue linings and cause gradually worsening damage over many years. It can be decades after initial exposure to asbestos that any signs of lung disease or mesothelioma occur. 

Treatment for mesothelioma

There are many treatment options for malignant mesothelioma. The best treatment choice will depend upon::

• Type of cancer
• The size and location of the cancer 
• The stage of the cancer
• Whether the cancer is fully resectable (removable by surgery)
• Your general health
• The side effects you are willing to tolerate

For some, the goal of mesothelioma treatment is to cure it; where a cure isn’t possible, the primary aim is to shrink it and/or help to keep it under control. Some treatments can also help to control symptoms, such as breathing difficulties or pain, and improve quality of life.

Asbestos lawsuits, claims, and trusts

Asbestos lawsuits have come up thick and fast in the last several decades, as more and more victims develop illness and disease as a result of exposure to asbestos. Many claims are sought via traditional lawsuits, while others have the potential to be somewhat fast-tracked and simplified via asbestos trusts. 

Due to the long-term, systemic negligence of the asbestos industry, many companies and their insurers have placed almost $30 billion into asbestos trust funds to compensate those injured by the deadly mineral. 

Unfortunately, despite much promising research, there is yet to be a cure for mesothelioma.

Fortunately, there are routes to compensation to assist with medical expenses and to improve patients’ quality of life, and often without requiring to pursue a lawsuit.

Depending on where you worked and to what extent you would have been exposed to asbestos, you may qualify for compensation through an asbestos trust. 

Even lifelong smokers can collect compensation for asbestos damage.

Many of our clients believed they weren’t eligible to file an asbestos lawsuit because they were cigarette and cigar smokers. This isn’t true under the laws of many states.  Our database contains the medical evidence needed to show that smokers who are exposed to asbestos are far more likely to develop cancer than smokers who weren’t exposed to asbestos. Cigarettes and asbestos are far more dangerous than cigarettes or asbestos.

Even lifelong smokers can collect compensation for asbestos damage.

Many of our clients believed they weren’t eligible to file an asbestos lawsuit because hey were cigarette and cigar smokers. This isn’t true under the laws of many states.  Our database contains the medical evidence needed to show that smokers who are exposed to asbestos are far more likely to develop cancer than smokers who weren’t exposed to asbestos. Cigarettes and asbestos are far more dangerous than cigarettes or asbestos.

At AsbestosClaims.Law, we specialize in asbestos-related personal injury claims, and believe that the only moral way to assist and represent asbestos victims is on a contingency basis – in other words, you never have to pay a cent in legal fees yourself; the firm only gets paid after you do.