The backslapping over the bitterly contested passage of the Zadroga bill in the waning hours of the 111th Congress has quieted down. As the hard work of implementing the important $4.3 billion bill gets underway there has come the kind of news that forces us to stop once again and take notice. This time it's word of the death of retired New York City firefighter and ground zero responder Roy Chelsen. His passing is painful affirmation of the need for the kind of monitoring and research that will be made possible by the funds that flow from the Zadroga bill.
Chelsen, 51, had multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, and a tough ticket for anyone. It is the second most common blood cancer in the United States after leukemia. There were 20,000 new cases diagnosed last year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute, and half as many deaths. But multiple myeloma is generally considered a disease of the elderly. That's not to say that no one in middle age ever gets it.
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