Art’s Story

In the late 1960s and ‘70s, Arthur “Art” Putt worked as an auto mechanic at service stations in California and Indiana. He started out by pumping gas and then moved to doing work on the cars. Even though he later became a manager, he still worked on cars, mainly doing brake work.

Unfortunately, the brakes Art routinely serviced contained asbestos, a toxic material used in a variety of different industries and products. Decades later, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos — a danger he was never warned about.

By filing a mesothelioma lawsuit, he was able to work with our team to secure financial freedom for his wife and children — and become a celebrity around the firm in the process.

Almost 40 years ago, Art met his wife Janet “Jan” Putt in an Arizona mobile home park. She owned a home in the park, and Art arrived in an RV.

Since there weren’t many single people who ever came to the park, Jan was intrigued. The couple talked for the very first time in the pool and got married in Las Vegas shortly thereafter.

“During our very first conversation, a woman asked if we were married. I looked at her, grinned, and said, ‘No, not yet,’” Art explained. “Three months later, we were married — and that was 38 and a half years ago.”

Throughout their marriage, Art and Jan have done everything together, from remodeling their home to going on long drives. The couple even worked together as characters at Dollywood, dressed up in costumes.

They lived an idyllic life together until 2018 — when Art was diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Art’s mesothelioma treatment began with chemotherapy that made him very sick. It also stopped working after a while, so he began immunotherapy. While he did far better with immunotherapy, that too stopped working.

In the beginning, he’d recover within a few days but soon he would be wiped out for all three weeks between treatments. With his treatments becoming ineffective, it became clear that the family would need to find new ways to help Art fight mesothelioma.

With two nurses in the family, they decided to research natural remedies. Art has been utilizing natural remedies since 2020 now.

He says that Jan feeds him a blend of asparagus, beetroot powder, cottage cheese and several oils through his stomach tube two times per day.

Appallingly, the link between asbestos exposure and illnesses was established in the early 1900s, but companies continued using the deadly material. Many asbestos companies chose not to warn their employees or consumers of the dangers of asbestos exposure, putting profits ahead of people.

When asked how he feels about this, Art says he is surprised. He wonders how human lives didn’t seem to mean anything to companies, like Ford Motor Company, that used asbestos in their products for years — all while knowing it would make people sick.

“I can’t think of the words to express the fact that I wish they were more sorry and more concerned about what was happening to people,” he said.

This desire to hold asbestos companies accountable is what led his family to consider filing a mesothelioma lawsuit.

What has made all of the difference for the family is the money Simmons Hanly Conroy helped them recover — money they say that has made their lives infinitely better. Because of this mesothelioma compensation, they no longer have any financial worries.

In November of 2018, Art and Jan met the team at Simmons Hanly Conroy and had several meetings after that. Within 10 months, the case was successfully closed.

In fact, Art received several mesothelioma settlements before his lawsuit even went to trial in August of 2019.

The mesothelioma compensation the family received helped Art fight his disease. Because he didn’t have to stress over how he would pay for treatment, he was able to remain more positive.

Having this burden lifted helped him focus on enjoying the time he has left with Jan and his family.

With the money from their mesothelioma claim, Art and Jan have finally found financial freedom. They have enough money in their regular account to live off of for the rest of their lives. Knowing that Jan is well taken care of because of the results gives Art peace of mind.

“We gave all that money to our kids, paid all their debts off, paid our house off and made our life a little easier because we had no financial worries,” Art happily recounted. “We still don’t have any financial worries because of it. They don’t either.”

The family says they have the mesothelioma lawyers at Simmons Hanly Conroy to thank for this.

“What I tell people is that the financial freedom that came from filing a lawsuit was the one good thing that came out of something bad. It’s made the time I have left even better,” Art said. “And that’s about the best way I could say it.”

When asked what advice he would give to other families facing a mesothelioma diagnosis, Art says that it is most important to stay positive.

“I would tell people to make the best of it. You can’t change it. Make the best of it as you can,” Art said. “Get as close to the people in your family, and friends, as you can.”

Once the initial shock wore off, he was able to see how lucky he was to still have time with his beloved wife Jan. He has used his time to tell her how he feels about her and cherish every day with her.

“Being able to finish my life with her and tell my kids or other people what I thought of them and everything else that may have been unsaid was really important to me,” Art explained.

Keeping a positive attitude is what has given mesothelioma survivor Art the strength he needs to keep fighting.