10th annual Mesothelioma Awareness Day

About a month ago, Cameron Von St. James that blogs at The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog, contacted me about promoting the 10th annual Mesothelioma Awareness Day.  His wife, Heather, is one of a few survivors. I love the blogging world because it connects you with other advocates and advocates are awesome, passionate people!

In 2005, at the age of 36, and only three months after giving birth to a beautiful daughter Lily Rose, Heather Von St. James was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. Upon learning of this life-altering diagnosis, Heather, together with her husband Cameron, embarked upon a search to find the best mesothelioma treatment care available. Their search eventually led them to Dr. David Sugarbaker, a renowned mesothelioma surgeon at the Boston based Brigham and Women's hospital. Dr. Sugarbaker recommended a relatively new surgical procedure called extrapleural pneumonectomy, a groundbreaking treatment option offered through the International Mesothelioma Program. Although there were some risks associated with the procedure, it also carried promise for the best possible outcome. Heather, with full support from her husband and family, agreed to have the surgery.
Today, Heather Von St. James is an eight-year mesothelioma cancer survivor and continues to provide unending inspiration to mesothelioma victims around the globe. She carries out her mission to be a beacon of hope for those afflicted with mesothelioma by sharing her story of faith, love and courage both as a keynote speaker at conferences and through social media forums. (http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/heather/bio.htm)

Cameron is husband to Heather Von St. James, survivor advocate for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance, and father to Lily Rose.  When faced with the very real possibility of raising Lily on his own, he fought alongside Heather in her battle with mesothelioma. It was his determination and refusal to compromise on doctors or treatments that led them to Boston to receive radical surgery from esteemed mesothelioma surgeon, David Sugarbaker. Heather continues to thrive 8 years later. (http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/cameron/bio.htm)

Watch Heather's story in her own words.  This is truly an amazing story of resilience and grace in illness:

Mesothelioma.com states that Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer affecting the membrane lining of the lungs and abdomen. Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of all asbestos-related diseases. The primary cause and risk factor for mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos.

Making a correct mesothelioma diagnosis is particularly difficult for doctors because the disease often presents with symptoms that mimic other common ailments. There is no known cure for mesothelioma, but treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy have helped to improve the typical mesothelioma prognosis. Pleural mesothelioma (affecting the lung’s protective lining in the chest cavity) represents about three quarters of all mesothelioma incidence. Peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the abdominal cavity, and pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the cardiac cavity, comprise the remainder.

According to David Rice, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon and nationally known mesothelioma expert who practices at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, the very rareness of the cancer—only about 3,000 people a year are diagnosed in the United States—makes it difficult to run the kind of research studies needed to compare treatments and determine the ideal therapy at each stage of the disease. “There isn’t a lot of evidence-based science in this disease,” Dr. Rice admits. So when his patients ask him what the best treatment is for the disease, he tells them what we tell you in this section, adding that “we don’t have a reliable cure for this disease.”

 Mesothelioma is a form a cancer with a notably poor prognosis; mesothelioma life expectancy following diagnosis ranges between eight and fourteen months. The primary reason is the lengthy mesothelioma latency period as well as the fact that early mesothelioma symptoms are indicative of numerous other respiratory diseases as well, often delaying a correct diagnosis. While Stage 1 or stage 2 mesothelioma is often potentially curable, Stage 3 and stage 4 mesothelioma is not; such patients are often relegated to palliative treatments to relieve symptoms and restore quality of life. Mesothelioma prognosis is officially determined by a standard measure known as the relative five-year survival rate. This number indicates how many patients are still alive five years after being diagnosed with the disease. Currently, the relative five-year survival rate for mesothelioma is about 10 percent, a number that is significantly higher than it was a few decades ago. The one-year survival rate has also improved throughout the last 20 years or so and now sits at approximately 40 percent. Nevertheless, the overall mesothelioma survival rate remains poor. ( http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/prognosis/survival-rate.htm#ixzz3EHm1mVhz)

Heather's survivor story is one that beats so many odds.  Today on the 10th annual Mesothelioma Awareness Day, I urge you to educate yourself and check out all the facts about Mesothelioma at Mesothelioma.com.