Yerington plaintiff in Wyeth case dies at 65

BY MARTHA BELLISLE of the Reno Gazette-Journal • mbellisle@rgj.com

June 21, 2008

One of three Northern Nevada women who recently was awarded millions in damages against pharmaceutical giant Wyeth has died.

Pamela Forrester of Yerington died Thursday at noon, said one of her Reno lawyers, Geoff White. She was under hospice care for her lung cancer, he said. She was 65.
Forrester, Arlene Rowatt, 67, of Incline Village and Jeraldine Scofield, 74, of Fallon, were awarded $58 million after a jury found that Wyeth drug, Prempro, used to counter menopausal symptoms, caused their breast cancer.
The jury initially ordered Wyeth to pay $134 million, but Washoe District Judge Robert Perry ruled that the verdicts were the "result of passion and prejudice" and should be lowered.
The $58 million remains the highest amount awarded yet as Wyeth faces thousands of similar cases across the country. Wyeth has appealed the verdict to the Nevada Supreme Court.
"One of her best events was her ability to get some degree of justice from Wyeth even though she knew she was going to die," White said.

WMFX’s rock loses battle with cancer

MIKE SCOTT 1962-2008

By OTIS R. TAYLOR JR. - otaylor@thestate.com

When Charles Wilkie, a local booking agent and concert promoter, thinks of classic rock, one person comes to mind: Mike Scott.
Scott, the WMFX-FM Fox 102.3 afternoon DJ, died of lung cancer Wednesday morning at age 46.
“He always cared about how the shows did, and that meant a lot to me,” Wilkie said.
Scott, whose real last name was Uischner, began his career at the classic rock Fox in 1988, a year after the station started broadcasting.
For more than 15 years, it was Scott’s voice that introduced segments with the familiar “Aah, Fox.”
“He was one of the true lovers of classic rock,” said Benji Norton, who hosts “The Early Game” on 107.5 The Game.

Congratulations to our Georgia neighbors, Ed and Linda Levitt, advocates of LCA!

Washington, D.C. [June 16, 2008]— Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) praised Georgia State Senators John Wiles (R-37th), Chip Rogers (R-21st), Judson Hill (R-32nd), Steve Thompson (D-33rd) and Doug Stoner (D-6th) for introducing Georgia Senate Resolution 1215 (S.R. 1215).
Adopted by the GA Senate at the end of the 2008 legislative session, S.R. 1215 recognizes the tireless work and dedication of LCA-GA Chairs Ed and Linda Levitt to the lung cancer movement.
Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in the United States and in Georgia, taking more lives than breast, prostate and colon cancers--combined. This year alone, over 4,500 Georgians will die from the disease. Of those diagnosed over 60% are former smokers or never smoked at all.

Watch the video of Matt Lauer's interview entitled, "Golfer Defies the Odds."

On Monday's Today show, Matt Lauer interviewed lung cancer survivor and golfer John Atkinson, who won the opportunity to participate with him in the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge at Torrey Pines over the weekend.

"...John Atkinson, with all he's going through, and the fact that he had never been in a pressure-packed golf situation like this before -- or really ever faced any crowds or the attention like this -- he was a true gentleman. I know he didn't play as well as he wanted to play, but he inspired us out there.
I think the most emotional moment was on the 18th hole, when he and his brother and his family all embraced on the green. We all started crying, it was very moving."

a quote from Matt Lauer taken from allDAY (the Today show's blog)

CT Lung Cancer Screening No Cure-all For Smokers

ScienceDaily (Jun. 13, 2008) — Screening for lung cancer with computed tomography (CT) may help reduce lung cancer deaths in current and former smokers, but it won't protect them from other causes of death associated with smoking, according to a new study.