4/23/2014 2:00:19 PM
NEW
BRUNSWICK, NJ – On Wednesday, 11am EST, survivors living with chronic injuries
resulting from defective Johnson & Johnson (J&J) pelvic mesh implants
will field questions from members of the press about their intentions to have
their voices heard during J&J’s Annual Shareholders Meeting which will take
place at 10am EST at the Hyatt Regency, New Brunswick (2 Albany St., NJ 08901).
WHO:
Survivors & Family Members: Gay Courter, Robert Fish McClenny, Linda
Wilcox, Estelle Tasz, Teresa Sawyer Advocates: Levana Layendecker (CAN), Jane
Akre
WHAT:
Press Conference call with survivors living with chronic injuries stemming from
J&J pelvic mesh implants and their advocates.
WHEN:
Wednesday, April 23, 2014 at 11 am EST
DIAL-IN
INFO: 866-952-7535; *Conference ID: MESH
The
survivors will file a grievance Wednesday morning with Senator Kay Hagen,
Chairwoman to the Subcommittee on Children and Families, calling on the
Subcommittee to investigate J&J’s recent destruction of documentary
evidence related to multi-district litigation filed by over 20,000 women
severely injured by the corporations pelvic mesh devices. The call for a senate
investigation comes on the heels of an announcement made by the DOJ that they
are reviewing a similar request and it will be paired with a call made by the
survivors that J&J’s board of directors conduct an internal investigation
in the interim.
During
the press call the survivors, accompanied by members of The Corporate Action
Network (CAN) will detail their 48-hour plan of action, which will include:
•
A visually arresting light projection protest action targeting J&J
(scheduled for 8pm 4/23 [Corner of Church St & Neilson St, New Brunswick NJ
08901]).
•
Explosive video content released on johnsonandjohnsonhurtswomen.com
•
A press conference outside J&J’s AGM (scheduled for 8am, 4/24 outside the
Hyatt Regency [2 Albany St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901]).
•
Mesh survivors plan to speak inside the J&J AGM itself (scheduled for 10am,
4/24 inside the Hyatt Regency [2 Albany St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901]).
About
Gay Courter
Gay
Courter, 69, of Crystal River, Florida is a bestselling writer and documentary
filmmaker. She had mesh implanted during a hysterectomy, in case of aging
problem, but not needed at the time. Her mesh eroded causing pain, severe
infection, and urinary problems. She had a removal but continues to have
ongoing issues.
About
Robert Fish McClenny
Robert
Fish of McClenny, Florida watched his mother in pain after implantation of the
Bard mesh sling and the Johnson & Johnson Prolift. His mother Wilma Darlene
Fish, 68, was referred to pain management but ended her own life in October
2011 before she could make it to the clinic to receive narcotics. He does not
want her life and suffering to be in vain and promises to help fight the
implantation of surgical mesh without the properly testing.
About
Linda Wilcox
Linda
Wilcox, 67, of Bluffton, South Carolina had a Prolift mesh kit implanted in
February 2011. Prior to her implant she had a full live and was involved in
real estate investment research and the arts. Today she lives in chronic pain
which leaves her unable to concentrate. She stays home most of the time. Ms.
Wilcox has endured two partial removals and has more surgery ahead though she’s
been told the damage is permanent.
About
Estelle Tasz
Estelle
Tasz, 37, is the mother of four daughters. When was 29 following the birth of
her youngest she was implanted with Johnson and Johnson Prolift mesh kit to
treat prolapse. In the 9 years since then she’s had 12 surgeries including a
major 13-hour surgery to remove the mesh which had eroded into 3 organs and
migrated up into her abdominal wall. She is facing her next surgery in May 2014
to remove additional mesh and reconstruct her pelvic floor. She’s been
diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease since her mesh implant which is
attacking her heart.
About
Teresa Sawyer
Teresa
Sawyer, 45, had a Johnson & Johnson TVT mesh implanted during surgery to
remove a cyst. She did not know the risks associated with the use of mesh as
she was told by her doctor it was the “Gold Standard” and “completely safe.”
Within 30 days the mesh started eroding in her body and she decided she wanted
the plastic device removed. That has not proven to be as easy and Teresa has
undergone mesh explants surgeries and suffers from bladder infections and
severe pain. Because of her experience, she and her husband David began TVT-NO!
a nonprofit organization that raises funds to help other women with mesh find
medical solutions as well as outreach and education. When they asked one of the
nurses how they learned about mesh, she said the pharmaceutical company rep.
About
Levana Layendecker
Levana
Layendecker has been a political activist and professional organizer for over
fifteen years. She started out working as a campus organizer and canvass
director for the State PIRG’s (Public Interest Research Groups) after finishing
her undergrad degree and went on to become the Web Communications Director for
the American Friends Service Committee while obtaining a Master’s degree in
Governmental Administration from the Fel’s Institute of Government at the
University of Pennsylvania. After receiving her degree, Ms. Layendecker worked
on the health care reform campaign in Washington D.C. as the Director of Online
Campaigns for Health Care for America Now, a grassroots coalition mobilizing
millions to win a guarantee of quality, affordable health care. She most
recently served as the Senior Strategist for MoveOn.org’s coordinated campaigns
helping to support progressive candidates for Congress across the country.
About
Jane Akre
Jane
Akre has been a journalist for nearly 30 years working as a broadcaster,
anchor, and reporter at stations all around the country as well as CNN. She has
won numerous awards including the Society of Professional Journalists Award for
Ethics as well as the Goldman Prize, North America 2001 for environmental
reporting. Ms Akre began the website Mesh Medical Device News Desk (Mesh News
Desk) in 2011 to investigate the many stories she was hearing
Read at BioSpace.com
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DEMAND AN INVESTIGATION
The Corporate Action Network is launching an unprecedented
campaign to hold Johnson and Johnson and its top executives accountable for
their pattern of reckless conduct that has seriously injured women across the
United States who have been implanted with the corporation’s pelvic mesh
products.
We need corporations like Johnson and Johnson to stop putting
profits over the health and safety of women.
Read our letter to Senator Kay Hagan below and add your name to
join our call to investigate!
The Honorable Kay Hagan
Chairwoman
Subcommittee
on Children and Families
521 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington,
DC 20510
Dear Senator Hagan,
On behalf of women survivors in
North Carolina and across the country, we respectfully request a US Senate
investigation by your subcommittee into actions by Johnson and Johnson and its
top executives for their pattern of reckless conduct that has seriously injured
women across the United States who have been implanted with the corporation’s
pelvic mesh products.
Today there are 30,000 defective
product lawsuits filed against J&J in the U.S. and a growing number
worldwide, more than any of the five other major manufacturers. As many as 30
percent of women implanted are unable to work and function and are referred to
pain management. What the future holds for these women as the mesh
continues to degrade inside their bodies is unknown as the company chose not to
study the long-term effects. One recent plaintiff called her implant a “ticking
time bomb.”
Last month we delivered a letter to the Department of
Justice asking for a criminal investigation of Johnson and Johnson for
destroying thousands of documents related to the development of pelvic mesh, a
move that could undermine these women’s ability to receive justice.
The
Department of Justice is currently reviewing our call to investigate, and we
need your help. Corporations like Johnson and Johnson must stop putting
profits over the health and safety of women.
Johnson & Johnson need to be
held accountable as part of a larger war on women that stretches from Congress
to the corporate boardroom. These women don’t need evasive responses and
blaming survivors by Johnson and Johnson’s executives; they need help, now.
That Johnson and Johnson and its
CEO Alex Gorsky continue to claim that the destruction of thousands of
documents was “limited” is not only evasive – it is a slap in the face to the
thousands of women injured by Johnson and Johnson who are seeking justice.
And this is just the tip of the
iceberg. The Wall Street Journal recently reported conflicts of interest
with Johnson and Johnson and a physician who sought to change the language of
the treatment guidelines on pelvic mesh. The WSJ discovered that
Johnson and Johnson had paid the physician $800,000 in exchange for his
influence over the regulatory process.
Johnson and Johnson’s destruction
of evidence may also be violating a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the
Department of Justice.
Such an investigation is
urgent. There are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of women who have
been implanted – and continue to be implanted – with these dangerous products.
These
women need your help to hold Johnson and Johnson and its top executives
accountable. Johnson and Johnson must stop putting profits over the
health and safety of women
Sincerely,
Jane Akre
Spokeswoman
Johnson and Johnson Hurts Women
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