71-year-old Retired Businessman Sees Life and Marriage After Mesothelioma. Birmingham, AL
Horace and his wife Gloria, October, 2001.
Horace Horton is a 71-year-old retired mainte-nance worker and businessman who was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma in August 2001. Before falling ill with mesothelioma, Horace's health had been remarkable, allowing him to work hard since he was eight years old when he was hustling around the streets of Los Angeles with his shoe shine box and a dream. He grew up, worked as a maintenance man for several years and eventually opened his own cleaning business. However, his true happiness came when he met Gloria, his wife.
They were married on October 7, 1989, and despite Horace's ties to southern California, he and Gloria chose Mississippi as their home before moving to Alabama so that Gloria could pursue her doctoral studies in epidemiology. Then, the unthinkable began.
TROUBLING SYMPTOMS LEAD TO DIAGNOSIS
In August 2000, shortly after moving to Alabama from California, Horace began to suffer fatigue and shortness of breath. Initially, he thought this was a severe upper respiratory infection. He then began experiencing pain in his left chest wall. He consulted with a physician in Birmingham, Alabama, and underwent a left-sided thoracentesis, with a large amount of fluid extracted; cytological tests upon the fluid were inconclusive. Doctors recommended that he have an open lung biopsy, but he was hesitant to have the procedure done.
Horace and Gloria in Egypt, 1996.
Horace continued to cope with his pain until August 2001, when he traveled to southern California to visit family. A CT scan performed at Torrance Memorial Medical Center showed thickening of the visceral and parietal pleurae and an accumulation of approximately 200 ccs of fluid. The fluid was aspirated with ultrasound guidance and submitted for testing. Again, cytological tests upon the fluid were negative for malignancy. Horace's lung did not fully expand after the thoracentesis, and surgery was recommended.
On August 23, 2001, Dr. James D. Hall of the Torrance Memorial Medical Center, attempted to perform a thoracotomy, but was unable to insert the thoracoscope because of dense adhesions on the lung. Biopsies were taken from the left pleura and sent to the pathology laboratory. The pathological tests upon these specimens yielded positive results for malignancy, and a diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma, epithelioid type, was made.
Horace then met with Dr. Robert Cameron at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. While Dr. Cameron felt that Horace was a suitable candidate for pleurectomy / decortication, Horace decided against this surgery. It is an aggressive treatment, and Horace was unsure about his ability to endure the procedure and subsequent recovery. To attack this disease for which there is no cure, he is currently taking an increased dose of morphine as well as nutritional protocols; he is hoping for good results.
PHILOSOPHY AND DREAM TO LIVE
Horace Horton
Horace's life has had its share of ups and downs. He's survived his share of California earthquakes and been robbed at gunpoint for two dollars of loose change -- he laughs about that one. He spent most of his life working, saying that when you're a working man, there are the things you have to do, some things you want to do and a whole lot more you wish you'd done. He worked hard for years, and when he wasn't doing that, he made sure he was helping to raise his five children. Horace's family lived in rough neighborhoods, and he is proud of the difficulties his children overcame. When he retired, he took college classes out of long-held curiosity, and traveled across the country to fulfill long-held dreams. He is glad for his experiences, because they have made him the man he is; he is comfortable with himself and exudes confidence.
For now, all he and Gloria can do is hope and wait -- not easy for a man like Horace. He'd rather make lemonade out of lemons and prefers to get up and do something and work his way out of a bad situation. His father once told him, "When there's trouble over here, you be over there." With mesothelioma, it isn't that easy. Horace's six-foot, one-half inch tall frame has lost 50 pounds, dwindling to 140 pounds. He can no longer get around like he used to. One thing reassures him, however. When he initially became sick, Gloria postponed her graduate studies but, at Horace's urging, has now resumed them. She is a former manager but has used her time since retirement to pursue further education. Horace is more than happy to make sure that although he can no longer do certain things, she doesn't have to lose all the things that she loves. Since her return, Gloria has had an offer to upgrade her graduate studies to the doctoral level.
He and Gloria both have a deep and abiding faith in God, and they know they can count on each other for love and support. Despite the restrictions on his movement and activity, Horace is philosophical about his fate. He has read a vast collection of works, ranging from the Bible to the teachings of Buddha. He has always understood the importance of hard work and honesty, preferring to be up-front and giving with his children, his family, his peers and anyone else he meets. He says, "You cannot make money your god." He does not worry that they might lose their home as a result of his medical expenses. He is grateful for this day, and for now, is just trying to get over there.
*** POSTED JANUARY 21, 2002 ***
An Update -- 04/25/02
Horace's doctors have drastically increased his prescriptions of Lortab and OxyContin to combat breakthrough pain, and Horace has found eating difficult and digestion nearly impossible. He has lost more weight, another 20 pounds on top of what he had already lost. He endures constipation and severe abdominal pain and finds himself able to drink only milk, but his spirits remain buoyant. Although it is very hard for Gloria to see him suffer, she finds inspiration in Horace's indomitable will to survive.
Horace and Gloria are moving back to Mississippi at the end of May, and while Gloria will have to forsake her job opportunities to care for her husband, the two of them are constantly reading, looking for possible treatments to attack this insidious and rapacious disease. We will keep you posted on the progress of this loving couple who will not stay down.
An Update -- 07/26/02
Horace has begun a new regimen of pain-controlling therapy, the name of which eludes him. His weight has plummeted to 119 pounds, and he eats sporadically. He naps frequently and finds it difficult to speak for more than a few minutes at a time. He and Gloria would like to travel as they used to, but Horace's condition rules out any possibility of that. Gloria states that she and Horace thank God for every day they have together. We will keep you posted on the progress of this faithful couple.
An Update -- 11/11/02
In October, Horace had been able to do one of the many things he loves the most, travel. He and Gloria are enjoying a much needed vacation under the bright lights of Las Vegas. Horace loves the laser and water shows that the hotels put on to draw the people into the hotels and casinos. He's not much of a gambler, so once his $50.00 is gone, that's it.
He loves the food in Las Vegas, and that may have contributed to his weight gain of six pounds. Horace's weight is up from 119 to 125 lbs. He still tires very easily, napping when he can. He told Gloria that he may not be able to handle seeing the Star Trek show because it was too long, but he's not going to miss Gladys Knight!
His pain management medication, neurontin, which stops the brain from reading pain, and his nerve blockers help him walk short distances (as Gloria said from one slot machine to another). For any longer distances, such as "walking" through an airport, he must use a wheel chair. Gloria states that the pain management program has been a blessing for them. Horace knows that he doesn't have much time left, but he intends to enjoy each and every minute of it while he can.
Mr. Horace Horton passed away on December 14, 2002