Remembering Dr Andrew Lawson

Dr Andrew Lawson was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2007, when he was 48 years old. It seems that he was exposed to asbestos as a medical student at Guys Hospital.

Andrew's name came to our attention in March 2010, in a conversion with one of the specialist nurses following a hospital appointment when we had tried, but failed, to make much headway discussing with one of the registrars drug trials which might be open to Steve if his "stable" condition deteriorated.  

I googled the name, found a link in a newspaper article which lead me to an e-mail address, and I made contact.  To my surprise and delight, Andrew replied the same day, giving me his thoughts about clinical trials, surgery and novel treatments and a whole lot of contacts, links and a paper about a drug which showed some promise based on research in mice (Zometa).  

At that time, he was just over three years post-diagnosis, had had standard and other chemo, taken part in an intra pleural gene therapy drug trial in Philadelphia, was taking biphosonates (Zometa) and Celocoxib as a pain killer for an unrelated shoulder injury (Celocoxib is a NSAID which may have some anti-tumour activity). By then, he had less tumour than when originally diagnosed and had cycled across Cambodia for a week.  We were impressed!  

He also drew our attention to "The median isn't the message" by Stephen J Gould.  If you haven't read it, please take a look by clicking this live link. If nothing else, it will help you put those awful mesothelioma survival statistics into perspective.

Our next contact was in September 2010, after I read Andrew's article in Oncology Times Reflections from a Nightmare Patient.  Amongst other things, the article tells of his fight to be treated with Zometa and Celocoxib.  The arguments in the article reflect the discussion currently going on in relation to the Saatchi Bill about the need for innovative treatment.  At that time, Andrew was about to have a pleurectomy, in order to get on a trial of a stem cell based immunotherapy vaccine. 

In December 2010, Andrew told me that he had survived the surgery, albeit with some persisting pain, and was taking part in the drug trail as planned.  After the operation, he had three sets of radiotherapy to treat the solitary metastasis, but it hadn't stopped him enjoying life, including "some" cycling, as he described it (from Bankok to to Phuket!) and skiing, as wells academic things.  

In April 2013, he told me he was doing very well, albeit bothered by the pain from radiotherapy.  He was continuing to take Zometa every two months, and also taking part in the WT-1 vaccine trial. That trial is still recruiting in the USA. You can read about it by clicking here.  

Our last exchange of e-mails was in December 2013, when I had sounded Andrew out about the options open to Steve, now we knew his meso was on the move again.  

At that time, Andrew was on chemo again after a recurrence. But he was almost at 7 years post-diagnosis, 3.5 years pre-surgery and coming up to 3.5 years post surgery.  He described himself as "disabled to some extent" although he had cycled Tuscany that summer!  Near the end of the e-mail he said "recently, I'm dealing with some post treatment issues, but hey, only one child left at school and I'll live to see her fly the nest!"

With such an upbeat attitude, I expected Andrew Lawson to carry on cycling and being active in the mesothelioma community for a long time to come.  It was therefore a deep shock to hear yesterday that he had died last week and with much sadness that I dedicate today's blog to Andrew Lawson, doctor, academic, writer, cyclist, meso warrior, husband and father (and probably a lot of other wonderful things too...) It was a privilege to know him, if only in the cyber world.  Thank you Andrew for your words of wisdom and support.  

Andrew was on the Steering group of the Mesothelioma Priority Setting Partnership (PSP).  If you or your loved one has mesothelioma and you do nothing else this week, please complete the PSP survey and help carry on the good work he has started, along with others in the partnership.  

Please click here to compete the survey online or download a PDF copy to print and send in by post.  Thank you.  

connections

If you read the blog regularly, you will know that my day usually starts by checking the Google alerts for mesothelioma in order to keep up-to-date with news that might bring us more hope. I don't usually open articles about people dying as a result of the disease - it's too depressing.  However, today I followed up a headline "Doctor dies of mesothelioma contracted at UK hospital", fearful that it might be Dr Andrew Lawson, whom we met online back in the spring and whose articles have been so positive (check out the link top right).  


It wasn't a report about Andrew, but another doctor, Prof Kieran Sweeney from Exeter, who had died recently as a result of the disease.  The article finishes with a quote from Dr Robin Rudd, the consultant who examined Steve in relation to his damages case.  Small world!  


The report said that Prof Sweeney had been diagnosed with mesothelioma in 1979.  You don't need a degree in maths to calculate that he had survived more than 30 years post diagnosis, if that was true. I had already called out excitedly to Steve to say that I had found a really long term meso survivor, before thinking to myself - can this really be true?  


Further research online indicated that some idiot had got his or her facts wrong.  Poor Prof Sweeney had survived 14-15 months post-diagnosis, meaning that he had had less time to enjoy life than Steve has already enjoyed since he found out his fate. Our raised hopes were dashed......


However, the research that yielded this sad information also led me to a recent article about the same man by none other than Dr Andrew Lawson, written in June this year. Another rapid exchange of e-mails revealed that Andrew is still in there fighting, some three and a half years post-diagnosis and that he lives not far from us!  We are thinking of you tomorrow Andrew.  Hope all goes well with the op and that you have a speedy recovery.  Look forward to meeting you face-to-face when you are feeling up to it!


The research also led me to another site with which we now have a connection.  I have now added Jan Egerton's blog (Jan's Journey) to the list of meso warriors whose story you can follow through the link top right.  It also led me to the Bob Tolley Fund site and blog, which raises funds and awareness of mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases, set up in memory of Bob who died as a result of mesothelioma in September 2006.  


It saddens me so much to read of other meso warriors who have recently lost their fight against this awful disease and to those they leave behind.  There have been too many on the Facebook group recently.  It tears your heart out.  But we keep fighting.


There have been other connections in recent days - most notably a wonderful reunion with Hillary, an old friend from student days, who managed to fit in a trip to Oxford (with daughter Ruth) on a visit from Australia.  It was great to see you Hil!  I'll post the photo soon. Talkng to Hil brought home to us the international nature of the problem we all face with the mesothelioma time bomb, not just in the UK but world-wide.  If you want to know what's happening in Oz, just Google on "James Hardie mesothelioma" and prepare to be shocked.


I think I need a long walk to clear my head........that's what I'll be doing tomorrow, before going back to work for the rest of the week - always assuming I can remember how to log into the work computer......it's been so long!