EVERY ONE PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

I SPENT OVER AN HOUR TONIGHT WITH A BROTHER. MY BROTHER MIKE. MIKE AND I HAD NOT MET UNTIL TONIGHT. YET MIKE IS MY BROTHER. WE BOTH SERVED IN VIETNAM. THAT MAKES HIM MY BROTHER. MIKE IS DIEING. HE HAS CANCER; STAGE FOUR CANCER I WAS ASKED TO GO TALK TO MIKE BY HIS HOSPICE NURSE WHO IS A FRIEND FROM LONG LONG AGO. IT SEEMS THAT MIKE JUST WANTED SOMEONE TO TALK TO ABOUT HIS TIME IN NAM. IT WASN'T MUCH OF A CONVERSATION AS MIKE HAD JUST BEEN GIVEN A DOSE OF MORPHINE JUST BEFORE I GOT TO HIS PLACE. YET WE DID TALK AND I LEARNED THAT MIKE AND I WERE CLOSER THAN COMPLETE STRANGERS. MIKE'S COUSIN AND I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL TOGETHER. MIKE'S UNCLE TRAINED ME ON MY FIRST DAY AS A LETTER CARRIER. HIS DAUGHTER USED TO GET PIZZAS FROM A PIZZA JOINT LESS THAN 100 FEET FROM MY HOME. MIKE GREW UP IN THE SAME AREA AS HIS HOSPICE NURSE'S PARENTS SKATING RINK WHERE I HUNG OUT AS A TEEN. (I TOLD YOU WE WERE FRIENDS LONG LONG AGO) LIKE I SAID MIKE IS DIEING OF CANCER. I AM PROBABLY TOO LATE TO HELP MIKE AND HIS DAUGHTER. HOPEFULLY I CAN HELP OTHERS, BUT I NEED YOUR HELP TO HELP THEM. MIKE'S CANCER IS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE AND HIS SERVICE IN VIETNAM. NEITHER MIKE NOR HIS DAUGHTER WERE AWARE OF THIS UNTIL TONIGHT. HAD THEY KNOWN, MIKE'S CARE TREATMENT MEDICATIONS AND HOSPICE WOULD HAVE BEEN PAID FOR BY THE VA. PLUS MIKE WOULD BE RECEIVING COMPENSATION FROM THE VA FOR A SERVICE CONNECTED DISABILITY. IT IS UNLIKELY THAT MIKE WILL SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH TO RECEIVE ANY BENEFIT FROM THE VA AND THAT HURTS. IT HURTS BECAUSE I FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO LET MIKE KNOW ABOUT THE BENEFIT THAT HE HAS EARNED. I REALIZE THAT INFORMING ALL VETERANS IS NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY NOR IS IT POSSIBLE FOR ONE PERSON TO LET EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT EARNED OR DESERVED BENEFITS. BUT AS A VETERANS' ADVOCATE I FEEL THAT MAYBE I HAVE NOT DONE ENOUGH. THAT IS WHERE EACH OF YOU WHO READ THIS BLOG CAN HELP. PLEASE ASK EVERY VETERAN YOU KNOW ONE SIMPLE QUESTION.... HOW IS YOUR HEALTH? ONCE THE HAVE ANSWERED DIRECT THEM TO VIETNAM VETS www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/diseases.asp GULF WAR VETS www.veteranprograms.com/id1099.html Or you can have them contact me larry@nam-vet.net PLEASE HELP ME HELP THEM.