{"id":21358,"date":"2025-01-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/?p=21358"},"modified":"2025-07-09T22:04:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T02:04:28","slug":"john-panza-music-and-surviving-mesothelioma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/blog\/john-panza-music-and-surviving-mesothelioma\/","title":{"rendered":"Fight Song: A Musician\u2019s 13+ Year Journey of Surviving Mesothelioma"},"content":{"rendered":"

English professor by day and professional musician by night, John Panza, co-founder of the Panza Foundation, shares the defining moments of his 13+ years as a mesothelioma survivor.<\/em><\/p>\n

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John Panza knew he was up against a formidable opponent when he was diagnosed with stage 3 pleural mesothelioma<\/a>. But even in the face of such a serious illness, he refused to surrender.<\/p>\n

The Ohio native was only 38 years old at the time \u2014 a very young age to be diagnosed with this asbestos-related cancer \u2014 but he knew he was ready to fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might not win the war, but you must fight like you can,\u201d John shares. \u201cYou might even surprise yourself with how strong you are<\/strong>. I\u2019ve been fighting nonstop for more than a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more about John\u2019s journey as a mesothelioma survivor<\/a> and how music played an important part in his story.<\/p>\n

How Secondary Asbestos Exposure Changed John\u2019s Life<\/h2>\n

In the spring of 2012, John started having flu-like symptoms that wouldn\u2019t go away. An X-ray showed fluid around his right lung (pleural effusion<\/a>), and doctors began running tests to find out what was wrong.<\/p>\n

Over 3 months, he had two procedures to remove the fluid. Eventually, doctors confirmed John\u2019s mesothelioma diagnosis through video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He eventually learned that he had developed mesothelioma from secondary asbestos exposure<\/a>. John\u2019s father worked with asbestos brake pads<\/a> every day and brought the fibers home on his clothing, which was then washed with the rest of the family\u2019s clothes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad more or less drove around the plant all day picking up asbestos fibers<\/strong>, and that’s what he did every day, 5 days a week, for over 20 years,\u201d John recalls.<\/p>\n

Get our Free Survivors Guide<\/strong> to learn how other patients got diagnosed with mesothelioma, navigated their treatment journey, and found ways to live a fulfilling life after their diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Fighting an Aggressive Cancer With Aggressive Treatment<\/h2>\n

Since hearing the life-changing words \u201cyou have cancer\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s mesothelioma\u201d more than a decade ago, John has undergone a series of surgeries and other treatments<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From the beginning, John approached his battle with cancer like a war \u2014 one he wasn\u2019t certain he could win but was determined to fight.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBeing stubborn and refusing to quit<\/strong> seems to play a role in our quality of life, and every long-term mesothelioma patient I know is noticeably stubborn.\u201d<\/p>\n