Benefits Denied LA USO Volunteer Now Riddled with Cancer from Agent Orange

“While in Vietnam, veterans and non-veterans were told not to worry, and were persuaded the chemicals was harmless. But in fact dioxin is one of the most poisonous substances known to humans. Vietnam estimates 800,000 deaths and more than 500,000 children born with birth defects due to AO’s toxicity.”

“Over the last twenty years, cancer has become a way of life for Angeleno Lesli Moore Dahlke who, in 1970, was given the opportunity to travel to Vietnam. Her latest diagnosis, just days ago, of lymphoma, is a third cancer which she attributes to her exposure to Agent Orange (AO) in Vietnam.”

“The VA estimates that there may be as many as 250,000 US veterans who are suffering from Agent Orange-related illnesses.”

“Increased rates of cancer, nerve, digestive, skin and respiratory disorders, throat cancer, acute/chronic leukemia, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, soft tissue sarcoma and liver cancer among veterans are attributed to exposure from AO.”

“‘We visited surgical hospitals, evacuation hospitals (the MASH type) units for the very severely injured, field hospitals, fire bases on the tops of mountains where we would be signaled for landing with a smoke bomb to locate the safe place to land the helicopter,’ she recalled. With Grant, she traveled from Saigon to Quang Tri- just three miles from the DMZ.”

“Quite by accident, Dahlke stumbled onto the VA website where she was stunned to find the words, ‘Liposarcoma is a presumptive disease the VA recognizes as being associated with Agent Orange and those presumed exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975 (including those who visited Vietnam even briefly).’”

“So, Dahlke filed a claim with the Department of Labor under the Defense Base Act on July 8, 2010.”

“Several months passed before she was advised that she was not eligible to file under the DBA.“We had to sell our home in 2008 because of the high cost of my health care. In 2009, we had to file for bankruptcy. I continue to develop new stressful and challenging health ills all the time. Each day I take eleven prescribed medicines. Even with our insurance coverage, the monthly out-of-pocket cost to us is horrendous and I live in fear that Blue Cross could cancel my insurance at any time.” Dahlke said her medical bills have exceeded a $1 million.”

“Dahlke had lost several internal organs to cancer in 1990- because of surgery done to remove a life threatening cancer.”

“Dahlke filed an appeal of denial and received a final denial on July 1, 2011.”

Full Article: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/august162011/lesli-dahlke-kr.php