MESO: The Mesothelioma Podcast
MESO: The Mesothelioma Podcast is a supportive, medically informed, and deeply human show dedicated to helping families navigate life after a mesothelioma diagnosis. Hosted by patient advocate, Dave Foster, the podcast brings together the voices of doctors, survivors, caregivers, and leading experts to deliver clarity, guidance, and hope when it’s needed most.
Sponsored by Danziger & De Llano, one of the nation’s most experienced mesothelioma law firms, the show offers more than legal insight—it provides practical direction, emotional support, and a roadmap for getting the best medical care as quickly as possible. Whether you or a loved one has just been diagnosed or you're searching for trusted information, MESO breaks down the medical, legal, and personal impact of this rare disease in a way that’s easy to understand and compassionate at every step.
Every episode delivers meaningful conversations, survivor stories, expert interviews, and actionable next steps so families can make informed decisions with confidence.
If you need answers, support, or guidance—you’re in the right place.
For more information, visit Danziger & De Llano at Dandell.com.
Episodes
28 episodes
The Veterans Benefits Shortcut
A missed benefit, a delayed test, or one lost piece of paperwork can change everything when a veteran is trying to get care, file a claim, or find safe housing after a serious diagnosis. We sit down with two veterans, Jessica and Drisuk Thuie, ...
Inside A Stanford Surgeon’s Decision-Making For Pleural Mesothelioma
A big mesothelioma trial rattled the surgical world, and patients are left asking the same question: if surgery might be harmful for some people, when does it still help? We sit down with Dr. Leah Bacchus, a Stanford cardiothoracic surgeon, to ...
The Mesothelioma Surgery Debate
One clinical trial can change an entire field overnight, and that’s exactly what happened after MARS 2. Suddenly, many pleural mesothelioma patients started hearing a blunt message: surgery is off the table. But when you zoom in, “surgery” is n...
What To Say When Cancer Hits
The moment someone says, “I’ve been diagnosed with cancer,” most of us feel two things at once: love and panic. We want to help, but we’re scared we’ll say the wrong thing, make it awkward, or accidentally cause more pain. We slow it all down a...
How Mesothelioma Claims Work And What Families Need
We talk with attorney Paul Danziger about how mesothelioma claims really work, from asbestos trust funds to the proof families need to move quickly. We focus on practical steps that can help people protect their loved ones and pursue accountabi...
Surviving Peritoneal Mesothelioma
A routine surgery turns into a life-changing phone call, and suddenly you are the rare case no one around you has seen before. We sit down with Julie Russell, a nurse and nearly 20-year survivor of peritoneal mesothelioma, to tell the full stor...
Cancer Nutrition That Actually Helps
Googling “what to eat after a cancer diagnosis” can send you into a panic spiral fast. One page says cut all sugar, another says buy a shelf of supplements, and somehow you’re supposed to do that while managing appointments, side effects, and r...
Mesothelioma Support That Actually Helps
A mesothelioma diagnosis doesn’t just change a treatment plan, it rearranges an entire family’s life. We talk with seasoned members of a mesothelioma care team about the moments that hit hardest right after diagnosis and the quiet, practical ch...
VA Benefits And Mesothelioma
Filing for VA benefits after a mesothelioma diagnosis feels like the obvious first move but it can be the wrong move if you don’t understand how asbestos exposure is argued across systems. We sit down together and walk through the real-world “s...
Hope After Mesothelioma
You can do everything “right” and still get a life-changing diagnosis. Linda Chitwood is a retired RN, longtime nurse educator, and the author of Fear To Faith and she joins us to share how her husband Lenny was diagnosed with mesothelioma desp...
A Nurse Learns To Choose Faith Over Fear
A single, quiet moment can change everything: a nurse listens to her husband’s lungs and hears nothing on one side. From there, life moves fast. We’re joined by Linda Chitwood, an RN, longtime nurse educator, and author of Fear To Faith, to sha...
How Mesothelioma Cases Really Get Built
Mesothelioma commercials make it sound like there’s one easy path to compensation, but the real work happens in the details most people never see. We sit down with Leslie Cooper, a mesothelioma investigator with 23 years of experience and rough...
Mesothelioma Deadlines And How To Beat Them
One missed deadline can wipe out a mesothelioma claim, even when the exposure happened 30 or 40 years ago. We talk about the statute of limitations in mesothelioma cases and why the clock is so unforgiving once a diagnosis arrives. Depending on...
How Two Patient Advocates Guide Families Through Mesothelioma And The Legal Process
A mesothelioma diagnosis can make everything feel urgent and unreal at the same time, and the hardest part is often not knowing what to do first. We sit down with Kathleen Bono and Sarah Bono, a mother-daughter team who have spent more than a d...
Larry Gates Explains What Families Should Do After A Mesothelioma Diagnosis
A cough. A pain along the ribs. Getting winded on the walk to the mailbox. Those small changes can be the first hints of something much bigger for people with a past asbestos exposure, and they’re the moments that still stick with us after talk...
From Diagnosis To Goodbye; A Caregiver’s Journey
Mesothelioma caregivers provide an average of 4+ years of full-time support — and 70% report that the emotional toll remains raw decades later.In this episode of MESO: The Mesothelioma Podcast, host
From ICU To Lifeline: Nursing Mesothelioma Care
Over 80% of mesothelioma patients are initially misdiagnosed. For those who reach a specialist center, the work that happens after surgery often decides the outcome.In this episode of MESO: The Mesothelioma Podcast, host
From Grief To Advocacy
Episode TitleFrom Grief to Advocacy: How One Caregiver's Photo Album Changed a Senator's MindEpisode DescriptionA mesothelioma caregiver's photo album—with no written words—moved a U.S. Senator to tear...
Love, Loss, and Mesothelioma: What 4.5 Years as a Caregiver Taught One Family
Episode Description:Mesothelioma patients given 6-12 months to live sometimes survive years longer — but what does that journey actually look like for the families who walk it with them?In this episode of MESO: The Mesothel...
Texas Asbestos Exposure: Refineries, Legal History & One Family's Story
Texas Asbestos Exposure: Refineries, Legal History & One Family's StoryEpisode DescriptionSix of the top oil refineries in the United States are located in Texas—and refinery workers, construction crews, and even th...
From Terminal Prognosis To Purpose: Katherine Keyes On Life After Mesothelioma
What does life look like when one lung has to do the work of two? We sit with Katherine Keyes for a candid, hopeful, and deeply practical conversation about rebuilding a life after mesothelioma—physically, mentally, and socially. No platitudes,...
From ICU To Independence: A Mesothelioma Survivor’s Road Back
Episode 6: Katherine Keyes — Life After Lung Removal SurgeryThe median survival for pleural mesothelioma with treatment is 18-31 months—yet Katherine Keyes was diagnosed in 2007 and is still thriving 17 years later. In this ...
A Patient’s Journey Through ICU, Recovery, And The Power Of Honest Doctors
Katherine Keys Part 4: Episode DescriptionMESO: The Mesothelioma PodcastMesothelioma patients who undergo lung-sparing surgery face an average hospital stay of 3-4 weeks—and the recovery journey requires both exceptional medical...
They Called Her Family to Say Goodbye: Katherine Keys' Mesothelioma Surgery and 18-Year Survival (Part 3)
"They Called Her Family to Say Goodbye: Katherine Keys' Mesothelioma Surgery and 18-Year Survival (Part 3)"Katherine Keys was given 12-18 months to live after her pleural mesothelioma diagnosis. More than 18 years later, she's the longes...