When Lexi Miletto's grandfather died three years ago, she found an outlet for her grief in writing letters -- to medical foundations, congressmen, and even Oprah Winfrey and the president. Lexi wrote these letters to call attention to the disease that killed him, mesothelioma.

Although she never heard back from Oprah or the president, she did get a call back in May from June Breit of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF). Breit invited Lexi to give the keynote address Friday, June 27, at the International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma held in Washington, D.C. Lexi enthusiastically accepted the invitation. ''I was very excited about it,'' she said. ''It means a lot to me because I want to raise awareness for others so they won't have to suffer like my grandfather did.''

Lexi’s grandfather, Joe Miletto, worked a string of hard-labor jobs, including demolition and brick-making, where he could have been exposed to asbestos. His widow, Diane, thinks he inhaled the asbestos that would kill him when he served in the Navy, building ships.

Lexi’s goals are to increase mesothelioma research and raise money for it through fundraisers. She also wants to push a strong Capitol Hill lobby for a national asbestos ban.

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