U.S. Navy veteran Walter Twidwell bravely battled a cancer called mesothelioma decades after exposure to asbestos while serving. With our help, he secured $40.1 million for his medical bills and to provide for his family.
Video Summary: Military veteran Walt talks about his time in the U.S. Navy, being diagnosed with mesothelioma, and filing a mesothelioma claim. View Transcript
The word mesothelioma I didn’t know anything about. When I turned 70 I started getting pneumonia, but then as time went on they kept getting closer and closer and closer together [the occurrences] and I asked the doctor, I said, I wanna know why.
And they sent me downstairs to get a chest X-ray and the X-ray made it back before I got back up there.
He says, we're gonna go inside and take a look. He come up right to my bedside after the operation and showed me the pictures they took on the inside of the lung and he pointed out the cancer.
I really can’t explain it. I got a knot in my stomach, you know. But he told me then that there was no cure for it.
I was impressed by the Navy – seeing my uncle in that Navy uniform, you know – take pictures of him. So I just decided when I come outta school that I was gonna join the Navy.
I was very proud of that uniform. I was a boiler tender when I went aboard my first ship and started doing my first job. They told me — I asked them what the material was made out of and they told me it was asbestos.
It didn’t kill anybody on the spot that’s for sure, but it took years later when it started catching up with us. But, my understanding [is] that the powers-that-be knew.
I didn’t wanna sue my government and I damn sure didn’t wanna sue the Navy cause they're still feeding me. I wasn’t suing the government, I wasn’t suing the U.S. Navy, I was suing the manufacturer.
It was only 2 or 3 days and he was here [the lawyer]. He came and seen me, talked to me personally. He knew what kind of a man I was and how involved I was with my job in the Navy. Felt very comfortable with them. I was watching the way they handled it, they did good.
[It was] positive thinking, there was nothing negative about it, it was positive. They were prepared, they could go back to day 1, and I appreciated that. There was no guessing about it, they had the paperwork to back them up.
It was a hands-on approach I guess, and that’s what drew me. Cause that’s the way I do things – a hands-on approach. They damn well earned it.
Walter enrolled in the U.S. Navy in 1954 at 17 after being inspired by his uncle, who also served. He became a boiler tender and engine room worker.
However, his work on U.S. Navy ships like the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42), USS Gurke (DD-783), and USS Zellars (DD-777) exposed him to asbestos.
“I was a boiler tender when I went aboard my first ship and started doing my first job. I asked them what material it was made out of and they told me it was asbestos.”
No one warned Walter that asbestos could lead to cancer because the risks were hidden by manufacturers for decades.
Did You Know?
Roughly 1 in 3 mesothelioma patients today is a U.S. Navy veteran since this branched used more asbestos than any other.
Walter retired from the Navy in 1973, leaving behind a proud legacy of service — but not knowing that his asbestos exposure would lead to a mesothelioma diagnosis.
Request our Free Veterans Packet to find helpful resources if a U.S. Navy veteran you love is fighting mesothelioma.
After serving, Walter returned to his home state of Washington, living in a hand-built cabin and working as a logger. Yet Walter’s body was suffering from the asbestos he’d breathed in during his time in the Navy.
It takes 10-50 years for mesothelioma to develop after asbestos exposure, and in 2017, Walter’s diagnosis was confirmed following recurring bouts of pneumonia.
“He [my doctor] says, ‘We’re going to go inside and take a look.’ And he came up right up to my bedside after the operation and showed me the pictures that they took of the inside of the lung. And he pointed out the cancer.”
Walter had pleural mesothelioma, which is the most common type this cancer and develops in the lung lining (pleura). Most patients live only 12-21 months. Walter was in disbelief.
Call (877) 450-8973 to share your story with us if you’ve recently been diagnosed with mesothelioma. We can help you find top doctors, secure VA benefits, and pursue compensation if eligible.
Walter knew he had to make life-changing decisions following his pleural mesothelioma diagnosis.
Rather than lingering on what he could have done differently, he stayed in the present and was determined to fight mesothelioma on his own terms.
“My diagnosis set me back for a couple days, but I’m old enough to where I’ve accepted it,” Walter said.
Walter decided against getting major mesothelioma treatments like chemotherapy since his cancer was advanced at the time of diagnosis. Instead, his family stepped in to care for him.
Walter received supportive oxygen and had fluid drained from around his lungs repeatedly to improve his breathing.
While the support of his loved ones helped tremendously, Walter still had difficulty accepting how the cancer limited his once-active lifestyle.
“I can’t cut wood, raise a big garden, or anything anymore. It hurts knowing that I had been so independent all my life, and all of a sudden I can’t do anything for myself.”
Walter Twidwell
U.S. Navy veteran with mesothelioma
After hearing about Walter’s diagnosis, a close friend called our partner law firm Simmons Hanly Conroy on his behalf to arrange a meeting.
Walter reluctantly agreed to meet the veteran-founded firm’s mesothelioma attorneys at home. At first, Walter was ambivalent about taking legal action, fearing it would involve suing the military or government.
However, he soon learned that Simmons Hanly Conroy would only sue manufacturers of asbestos-containing products, which knew the risks of asbestos decades ago but hid them.
“When I got told the manufacturers knew many years prior what asbestos would do to the human being, I got mad and said, ‘Heck with this noise, they’re gonna hear from me.’”
Walter agreed to work with Simmons Hanly Conroy lawyers, who filed a mesothelioma lawsuit on his behalf. The attorneys took care of all the legal legwork of building and filing the lawsuit, meaning there were no extra hassles for Walter.
Ultimately, Walter was awarded $40.1 million in mesothelioma compensation from the manufacturers responsible for his diagnosis following a 2018 trial.
Though his health was failing, Walter could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that justice had been served. He passed away at the end of 2019, but his bravery and service to our country will never be forgotten.
Walter’s mesothelioma journey serves to inspire other U.S. veterans, civilians, and families to never give up in the face of a cancer diagnosis.
The Mesothelioma Veterans Center team is proud to have helped Walter and thousands of other people impacted by mesothelioma. Our staff includes fellow U.S. veterans, registered nurses who work with mesothelioma patients, skilled asbestos attorneys, and caring patient advocates.
We may be able to assist you or a loved one as well.
Get a Free Veterans Packet now to learn about all the resources we offer to veterans and families facing mesothelioma. And, on behalf of our entire team, thank you for your military service.
