U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Sean Terry put on his dress blues. Once, a muscular Marine had filled the fabric. Now, his 33-year-old body had withered in size, and he couldn’t really stand. But, he had made it his final mission to attend a father-daughter dance with his three girls.
It would be their last.
Terry, a former Plant City resident, had been battling esophageal cancer. In September, he went on a high adventure mountain vacation, river rafting and camping. Just 12 days later, he was diagnosed.
At his Denver home April 19, he took his final breaths while his wife, Robyn, kissed his forehead, cheeks and mouth. He finally could pass in peace.
Since his diagnosis, Terry had been trying to get 100% of benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs, so that he could take care of his family following his death. To do so, he had to prove that his cancer was caused from his service with the military, particularly his exposure to burn pits.
The saga to help his family involved a vivacious band of motorcycle riders, one very important letter and a resilient spirit that would not settle for defeat.
BURNING SERVICE
Terry was living in Plant City when he first joined the Marines in 2001. He had seen the battlefield, completing two tours in Iraq. But, even combat couldn’t break him.
While in Fallujah, he was taking a break next to a truck on a dusty road when his unit was attacked with mortars. Shrapnel speckled his body on impact, but he survived. The military wanted to give him a medical discharge, but he refused. For his courage and strength, he received the Purple Heart.
Although he faced insurgents during his time in the military, another type of fight was taking place — inside his own body.
Terry was exposed to burn pits during his deployments. The military uses burn pits to rid camps of waste, such as chemicals, paint, medical and human waste, metal/aluminum cans, munitions and other unexploded ordnance, petroleum and lubricant products, plastics and Styrofoam, rubber, wood and discarded food.
At the VA’s request, the National Academy of Sciences, a non-governmental organization, conducted a study to determine whether burn pits caused long-term health issues to those exposed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In the 2011 report, the IOM found “inadequate or insufficient evidence of a relation between exposure to combustion products and cancer, respiratory diseases, circulatory diseases, neurological diseases and adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes.” But, there still was “suggestive evidence of a link between exposure to combustion products and reduced lung function in various groups thought to be similar to deployed service-members, such as firefighters and incinerator workers.”
Although there is no conclusive evidence, the VA is continuing to look into claims and conduct studies.
Terry wondered if his cancer had come from burn-pit exposure.
DIAGNOSIS
For years after he left the Marines, Terry thought he was suffering from acid reflux. He popped TUMS tablets like candy. It became so bad that his doctor gave him pain pills to ease the symptoms. When he started vomiting blood after taking the pills, he went to a VA doctor for a second opinion.
He wasn’t expecting to get a stage-three cancer diagnosis.
From there, the cancer spread around his body. He had tumors in his brain. Then, it drifted back into his lungs and lymphatic system. All the while, he had one concern on his mind — his family.
Terry didn’t have 100% of his benefits with the VA. That meant his family wouldn’t get benefits if he died from his cancer. It was frustrating for Terry. But luckily for him, he had Devil Dogs at his side.
The Devil Dogs are a motorcycle club comprising military veterans, including Terry. Over the last two years, he had become best friends with two of the members, Julie and Wes Neville.
When they found out about his diagnosis, they knew they had to do something to help. After speaking with the VA, they discovered Terry could get full coverage if he obtained a written letter from a VA doctor that stated his cancer had a 50% chance of being caused by the burn pits in Fallujah.
“We’ve been trying to get the VA to take responsibility for this,” Julie Neville said.
“The information has to be passed along,” Wes Neville said. “I know he’s not the only one who had to be exposed.”
As Terry’s time ticked away, Devil Dogs members worked like ants to submit the paperwork and get the letter that could change his family’s life.
On March 28, they finally got it.
“Given his very young age at diagnosis and his very aggressive cancer type, I believe there is more than a 50% likelihood that this cancer was caused by exposures during his military service,” Dr. Christopher Sumet wrote. “This may have been either due to his exposure to burn pits or related to tobacco and alcohol use during his service used to treat symptoms of his post-traumatic stress disorder.”
RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK
Although he received the letter, the VA still had to approve all the paperwork. While the Devil Dogs worked on sorting the paperwork, they also planned multiple fundraisers for the Terrys, including motorcycle rides.
“He said his only regret he had was that he hadn’t set up college funds for the girls,” Julie said. “Our focus is the girls and his wife.”
Before he died, the Devil Dogs hoped he would be able to attend an April 26 fundraiser. The ride will take supporters to different restaurants and end with a barbecue and after party. They were going to pick him up and let him ride in a sidecar. It was one of his last wishes — to ride again.
He didn’t make it.
The day before Terry died, the paperwork still hadn’t been approved. A Devil Dog member went to the VA to convince them of the urgency. Finally, 12 hours before he passed, his benefits were approved.
“Part of me is relieved,” Julie Neville said. “He went in peace, knowing his family was taken care of.”
Terry was the center of attention at Devil Dogs’ meetings.
From a crackling phone call across the United States, Wes Neville couldn’t describe his friend without crying. But, Julie Neville mustered up the strength.
“He was just the funniest person,” she said. “It couldn’t have happened to a worse person. He was outgoing, funny, he’ll sing — do anything.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
HOW TO HELP
Although the Terrys live in Denver, where all the fundraisers will be held, Plant City residents still can support the family by visiting GoFundMe.com/savingsean.