Local mason receives outpouring of support after silicosis diagnosis

A Lebanon mason has seen an outpouring of support from the community following his silicosis diagnosis. In a March 20 Facebook post from Downtown Lebanon’s business profile series, Bobby Dozier, a local mason who has worked on many of the buildings in the district, revealed that he had been recently diagnosed with silicosis. Silicosis, according to the Center for Disease Control, is a lung disease caused by exposure to breathable dust containing crystalline silica. The CDC separately notes that crystalline silica, while having no known health effects at regular levels, can be breathed in higher levels by workers in fields like construction, mining, sandblasting and porcelain manufacturing. Long-term exposure at the level that the listed field are exposed to can in turn lead to silicosis, the CDC says. In the post, Dozier related his journey to diagnosis, how he grappled with it in terms of his career and family, and the next steps his family would take. At the time of the post, he planned to visit the Mayo Clinic soon to gather more details about his condition. Following community response to the original post, which at the time of writing had about 1.5 thousand likes, 362 comments and about one thousand shares, Downtown Lebanon listed State Representative Melissa Schmidt, Downtown Director Sarah Angst, and April True as designated family contacts for those wishing to reach the Dozier family, with relevant phone numbers listed in the post. Angst told the Record on March 24 that community to the news has been positive, with an outpouring of support from across the region and from other states. As one of Dozer’s designated contacts, she also gave a statement from him. “I never realized the community cared so much about me. I’m lost for words,” Dozier said in the statement. A Downtown comment on its original post said that donations can also be made to Dozer’s Venmo, or via cash and check at Buzz Cuts Barber Shop. On Wednesday, the boutique Perennial Trends announced a partnered tee shirt fundraiser with Downtown Lebanon on Dozier’s behalf.