This will sound really “out there”. But do you think there might be a chance that exposure to Agent Orange while in Vietnam might have given him an added susceptibility?
My dad’s 1982 death of lung cancer was felt by his doctors to have been exacerbated by exposure to OA. My half-brother, (a Marine), died this past January of a rare form of cancer. His doctors don’t believe OA was a direct cause, since it’s been so long since Nam. But one opined that the exposure changed something chemically or hormonally in his body, making him vulnerable without displaying any overt symptoms. His immune system became a little run-down from age and overwork, and BAM, enter the rare cancer.
AFBXYZ: This will sound really “out there”. But do you think there might be a chance that exposure to Agent Orange while in Vietnam might have given him an added susceptibility?
In this case, I don’t think so - I never asked for details, but he was in the USAF, and I think he spent his time babysitting a radar on an island off the coast of VN.
I think it’s just most likely that anyone 85+ who gets it is going to be in trouble. Heck, when I caught it (back in its early days), I was 52, and it still kicked me pretty hard, but then again, I had other issues like Asthma, etc. No fun.
Anyway, hang in there and stay safe & healthy everybody.
And I will add one more thing - I think that in my case, my sleep-helper machine, and asthma medication (albuterol) helped me get through it. For what that’s worth.
My uncle and my father were both Vietnam vets. My uncle’s pancreas was destroyed by Agent Orange and he was on disability. (If you’re curious, a pancreas is worth exactly $110,000 to the US government.) After my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he filed with the military for AO exposure and was given some sort of additional pension... can’t remember how much. He was unconvinced that was the cause, but friends told him to file and sure enough, it was accepted.