Mesothelioma Cancer. My
Story.
 |
| Heather and lovely daughter Lily |
"You have
cancer." Those are some of the most feared words in life. I was on the
receiving end of those words at the prime of my life. I had given birth only 3
1/2 months before to my beautiful daughter, Lily. I was being informed that I
had cancer. To be precise, I had malignant pleural mesothelioma -- a form of cancer normally caused by exposure to asbestos.
"Wait a minute. Isn't asbestos banned?" When I tell people I have cancer, these are usually the first words that pop out of their mouth. The second question is, "where and how were you exposed?" "No" is the answer to the first question. "Secondary exposure" is the answer to the second.
My father worked in construction, and came home with asbestos on his work clothes and in his car. The dust from his work harbored asbestos. That innocuous-looking white dust contained millions of toxic asbestos fibers invisible to the naked eye.
At the age of 36, when I was diagnosed, the Mayo clinic was only aware of one other person who developed mesothelioma at such a young age. The normal patient is usually older, male, and a tradesman. This includes men who work in heating, plumbing, etc.
Then wives of tradesmen began developing mesothelioma. Doing things like their husband’s laundry exposed them to asbestos. Shaking a dusty shirt before adding it to the washer sends anything on that shirt airborne. Also, teachers were exposed to asbestos at their workplace. These women represented the next generation of mesothelioma patients. I was only the tip of the iceberg.
Following me were growing numbers of children who were being diagnosed with mesothelioma. These were children who attended schools where asbestos was degrading. Children were also playing in insulation laden with asbestos in attics across the United States.
All across the country, children were jumping into their daddy's welcoming arms when he came home from work, unknowingly placing themselves in danger of a lifetime of illness at the hands of mesothelioma.
As time went by, I met more and more sufferers of mesothelioma who were my age or younger. Many were only just beginning their lives, with families of their own, new jobs and careers, only to have everything come to a sudden stop when they learned of their diagnosis.
I take some solace from the fact that advances in treatment for mesothelioma are helping more and more of them beat this cruel disease. This includes mesothelioma patients from all age groups.
So if you are like me and have learned that you have mesothelioma, have hope as I do. There is a community of people with mesothelioma that can support you as they have for me. Someone is there to support you, let you cry on their shoulder, and celebrate with you when you have victories.
Why am I sharing my story? To make people aware. If I can bring a little hope to dispel the fear of this disease, I have done my job.
- Heather
Know more about Heather and her cause by liking her Facebook page here.
"Wait a minute. Isn't asbestos banned?" When I tell people I have cancer, these are usually the first words that pop out of their mouth. The second question is, "where and how were you exposed?" "No" is the answer to the first question. "Secondary exposure" is the answer to the second.
My father worked in construction, and came home with asbestos on his work clothes and in his car. The dust from his work harbored asbestos. That innocuous-looking white dust contained millions of toxic asbestos fibers invisible to the naked eye.
At the age of 36, when I was diagnosed, the Mayo clinic was only aware of one other person who developed mesothelioma at such a young age. The normal patient is usually older, male, and a tradesman. This includes men who work in heating, plumbing, etc.
Then wives of tradesmen began developing mesothelioma. Doing things like their husband’s laundry exposed them to asbestos. Shaking a dusty shirt before adding it to the washer sends anything on that shirt airborne. Also, teachers were exposed to asbestos at their workplace. These women represented the next generation of mesothelioma patients. I was only the tip of the iceberg.
Following me were growing numbers of children who were being diagnosed with mesothelioma. These were children who attended schools where asbestos was degrading. Children were also playing in insulation laden with asbestos in attics across the United States.
All across the country, children were jumping into their daddy's welcoming arms when he came home from work, unknowingly placing themselves in danger of a lifetime of illness at the hands of mesothelioma.
As time went by, I met more and more sufferers of mesothelioma who were my age or younger. Many were only just beginning their lives, with families of their own, new jobs and careers, only to have everything come to a sudden stop when they learned of their diagnosis.
I take some solace from the fact that advances in treatment for mesothelioma are helping more and more of them beat this cruel disease. This includes mesothelioma patients from all age groups.
So if you are like me and have learned that you have mesothelioma, have hope as I do. There is a community of people with mesothelioma that can support you as they have for me. Someone is there to support you, let you cry on their shoulder, and celebrate with you when you have victories.
Why am I sharing my story? To make people aware. If I can bring a little hope to dispel the fear of this disease, I have done my job.
- Heather
Know more about Heather and her cause by liking her Facebook page here.
