The Mesothelioma Resource Center--MesoRC--was founded to fill a void for mesothelioma patients who needed a comprehensive and inclusive place to find information, support, and advice.   The success of the site has prompted an expansion; MesoRC now includes resources for non-cancerous asbestos-related diseases.

The site aims to extend its sense of community and connectivity beyond mesothelioma patients to people affected by asbestosis, interstitial fibrosis, and pleural disease. These rare, debilitating diseases are often underfunded; in expanding MesoRC to address these conditions, the Law Offices of James Sokolove hope to provide an understandable and thorough resource for a population of patients that remain under-served. “The early success of MesoRC showed us that the site was making a significant difference for mesothelioma patients who literally had nowhere to turn, and we knew that victims of these other rare diseases could also benefit from an online resource center. As a firm, our mission is about finding innovative, customer-focused ways to serve our clients’ needs, and expanding MesoRC to help more people is one way we’re doing that," said Mike Skoler, CEO of LOJS.

Read the full press release here.

As previously discussed, lung cancer and mesothelioma are very closely related, but are not the same disease. A third similar condition is pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic lung condition, but is not cancerous. It is also called interstitial pulmonary fibrosis or interstitial fibrosis.

IF is characterized by the scarring and thickening of the tissue between the air sacs of the lungs. It is usually triggered by extensive periods of inflamation around the air sacs. Though there are several variations of IF, all occur due to the same main causes:

-Some known or unknown agent causes damage to the lungs.

-The air sacs become inflamed in response to the offending agent.

-Scar tissue forms, destroying healthy tissue, and the lung becomes stiff, impairing its ability to breathe and carry oxygen.

Asbestos is one of the man causes of IF. An irritant and pollutant like asbestos causes serious damage when it enters human airways; in the short run, lungs usually become inflamed. In the long run, inflammation can lead to scarring, triggering conditions like IF.

Please visit this link for more information about interstitial fibrosis and other asbestos-related diseases.