Vietnam Vet Credits Strong Will, Alternative Medicine to Mesothelioma Survival

Doctors told United States Army soldier Billy K. almost 50 years ago that he never would walk again, his left leg irreparably damaged by a spray of bullets when his patrol was ambushed in the jungle during the Vietnam War. Doctors told him last year he had six months to live, an unfortunate victim of malignant pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive and incurable cancer around his lungs. He didn't listen either time. Billy was back home last week cutting grass with a push mower, making plans to go camping with his wife and best friends. A proud military veteran and mesothelioma survivor doing surprisingly well today, Billy, 72, is doggedly stubborn in his belief that he can overcome any obstacle in his path, still living life on his terms. "I went to Vietnam knowing I might never return home alive – but I did. I'm a fortunate guy. I'm a determined guy, too," he said by phone from his home in southwest Ohio. "If someone tells me I can't do something, I make sure I do it. I've always believed you can beat anything if you put your mind to it." Billy spent more than six months in two different hospitals recovering from his war wounds. He worried more about his friends who never made it back alive. He received the Purple Heart medal for his combat service, slowly but surely working his way out of the wheelchair he used initially. His crutches soon disappeared, too, and the harder he worked in rehabilitating his leg, the less he limped. He moved to Arizona, Colorado and other places...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Stories from Survivors Source Type: news