Creating Awareness

Not to get all "Grey's Anatomy"-ee on you today, but it doesn't take much for life to quickly change when doctors and tests and other clinical-y matters are involved. As the years have gone by, I've witnessed life-changing diagnoses more often than I've cared - be it family, friends, coworkers, Facebook acquaintances and even myself. 

Following a routine dermatologist appointment in 2010, I found myself driving to work one morning when the nurse called to ask me if I could come by later that day and talk to the doctor about my lab results. "And bring your husband," she added at the end. I knew immediately what the results were, and even though my melanoma was caught in the early stages, it was still pretty life altering to the little bubble world where I had been living.

A PBT reader left a comment on yesterday's post asking me to contact her regarding a question she had about my blog. I fired off a quick email to Heather Von St. James to find out what was up, and then spent the next 30 minutes searching 'mesothelioma' on the internet.

Here's a quick synopsis of Heather's story:

Just three months after giving birth, Heather was diagnosed with a rare and deadly type of cancer - she was diagnosed with mesothelioma and without immediate treatment, she would have a projected 15 months to live.  Heather then traveled to Boston to receive treatment from top mesothelioma doctors. Here, surgeons removed Heather’s left lung as well as the lining of her diaphragm and heart followed by radiation and chemotherapy. Now, eight years later, Heather is still with us today and strives to help spread awareness of this preventable cancer.

Through the exchange of a few more emails, Heather also detailed to me the dangers of asbestos. Before our email exchange, all I knew about asbestos - besides hearing it frequently on a commercial for a class-action lawsuit - was that its often found in older buildings and it's dangerous to be in close proximity of asbestos. According to Heather, asbestos is not banned in the U.S., yet it's the only known cause of mesothelioma. Once diagnosed, most patients die within two years.

I find it beyond inspiring that Heather has dedicated the rest of her life to creating awareness for mesothelioma - a disease that tried to rob a beautiful woman of a happy and blessed life - and I'm grateful she reached out to me to spread her message. Sharing her story here was the least I could do.

Here are a few links for more details on Heather's story ...


Heather's video: mesothelioma.com/heather

Heather's treatment: mesothelioma.com/treatment

Heather's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherVonStJames

Without any suggestion from Heather, I found the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation last night and made a small donation that will go towards funding research, providing education and support for patients and their families, and advocating for federal funding of mesothelioma research.

Thank you for reading today's blog, and if you can, say a quick prayer for Heather - per her Facebook page, she is traveling to Boston Thursday for a check-up with her doctor following her most recent scans.