Vietnam veteran from Jessup needs kidney donor

Jason LiVecchi
·2 min read
6

JESSUP, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A Lackawanna County Vietnam veteran who was exposed to the chemical known as Agent Orange during the Vietnam War is trying to get medical attention.

He is suffering from kidney failure due to the chemical and is in desperate need of a kidney donor.

28/22 Reporter Jason LiVecchi met with him on Monday and shared his story.

“I was exposed to age and orange in Vietnam, just like 68 and 69, just like hundreds of thousands of other guys,” said Vietnam War Veteran Russell Canevari.

Russell, a Vietnam veteran from Jessup, spent almost two years fighting in the war.

He says he was sprayed with the chemical on a weekly basis and was told by his superiors that there was no harm to humans

“We were told it was harmless, we took their word for it,” said Russell.

Agent Orange was sprayed from US military airplanes in Vietnam to clear the brush and foliage during the war.

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“It was like a mist that came out it was stuck to the ground, and it just burned,” Russell explained.

After the war, studies came out stating the chemicals used during those missions caused negative health effects on the military personnel on the ground.

Now Russell’s kidneys are failing, and doctors say he needs a kidney transplant.

“They gave their life, they put their life on the line,” Russell’s wife Grace.

After the service Russ got married, and today, his wife is still concerned about the effects of Agent Orange on her husband.

“I think veterans deserve the coverage medical coverage they should have when they have serious medical issue like this they should not be denied,” Grace explained.

Russell is currently on the kidney transplant list with Geisinger but is having trouble getting on the transplant list with the VA, which is where he wants his treatment.

“I just wanna make sure that I go down fighting and hope for the best,” said Russell.

Russell says he was told he was denied to be on the VA transplant list due to his age and is now appealing that decision.

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