Mesothelioma - Answering Service Resources | Specialty Answering Service

Mesothelioma

Tragically the word mesothelioma is becoming more and more well known, the mere mention of it striking fear into all of us for we know that it is associated with death. Asbestos is the reaper, mesothelioma its hand maiden.

Asbestos, the wonder product of the fifties is now recognized as an enemy of the twentieth century. A ruthless enemy which will kill more people than the war. Men, women and children will fall victim to its prey, innocents who have at some time in their lives inhaled asbestos dust.

Most of us have been in contact with products containing asbestos in our life times. We sat in asbestos class rooms, stood beside our fathers as they cut asbestos fencing, pulled up old linoleum with asbestos clogged to the back of it. Visited the local tip where broken sheets of it lay open to the wind.

Records show that there are a higher number of people afflicted with asbestosis and mesothelioma who have directly worked in asbestos mines, ship yards and companies making products from asbestos; however there are a large number of people afflicted, who have never worked in these industries. Their contact with asbestos, due to the dust brought home on their husband's clothes or from the asbestos tailings placed around mine houses and town perimeters. But the tragedy does not end there, children innocently playing in their own back yards played amongst the asbestos tailings as children elsewhere play in the sand. They had no way of knowing that their sand was asbestos blue. A good bath at the end of the day may have removed the dust from the skin but the dust in the lungs remained and would lay dormant for many years before claiming its deadly legacy.

Without warning, a healthy individual suddenly becomes short of breath, x-rays reveal fluid on the lungs and the night mare begins. Questions are asked and you answer, Yes, I was exposed to asbestos dust but I was only in the town for a few short months and that was over 40 years ago. How can this be? This is the most perplexing thing about mesothelioma. Why is there such a long period of time between inhalation of asbestos dust and onset of the disease? What triggers a strong healthy body to suddenly succumb to it? What can we do to prevent this from happening?

Blood tests are now available to determine whether mesothelioma is present in the body, before a person is aware of any symptoms. This is an amazing breakthrough and perhaps the first step towards curing the disease before it becomes terminal. Recently mesothelioma was cured in a mouse and attempts to give it back to the mouse were unsuccessful. This too is exciting stuff and holds a glimmer of hope for us all.

I have witnessed first hand the devastation of mesothelioma. My husband was a strong and virile man who rarely had a sick day in his life. Suddenly at the age of 52 he became short of breath and was subsequently diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. He had lived in the asbestos mining town of Wittenoom in Western Australia for a few short months at the age of seven. The asbestos dust he inhaled then, took forty five years to become lethal. I still find this hard to believe.

Despite his prognosis of three to nine months, Brian survived for two years. He was 54 years old when he died.

Lorraine Kember is the Author of Lean on Me: Cancer Through a Carer's Eyes,a powerfully moving and inspirational true story about her husband's courageous battle with mesothelioma and her emotional journey as she cares for him. This touching book includes helpful information on topics such as: cancer pain management, symptom control, and coping with grief. Diary excerpts and poems Lorraine penned along the way are interspersed throughout this book and further depict the depth of their love for each other, the sense of helplessness she experienced on his diagnosis, and her growing strength as she comes to realize that there is much she can do to improve the quality of his life. This book has been highly recommended by the Cancer Council, as well as numerous other organizations and doctors. To read more about this book or order it online, please visit her website http://www.cancerthroughacarerseyes.jkwh.com

In The News:

Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center Commend Massachusetts ...
TransWorldNews (press release), GA - Jul 3, 2008
Asbestos has been definitively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a deadly lung cancer that affects the pleural lining of the lungs and has a ...

Why are our schools full of deadly asbestos and why isn't anything ...
Daily Mail, UK - Jun 30, 2008
This is a highly aggressive cancer of the lung lining caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is not the same as cancer of the lung; this can also be ...

New clinical trial for patients with asbestos-associated lung cancer
EurekAlert (press release), DC - Jun 26, 2008
From 1940 through 1979, approximately 28 million US workers were exposed to asbestos at work. An estimated 3000 people died of mesothelioma in the late ...
Treatment for asbestos-caused mesothelioma United Press International
Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center Acknowledges New TransWorldNews (press release)
all 11 news articles

Man died from asbestos exposure
Gloucestershire Gazette, UK - Jul 3, 2008
By By Court Reporter A MAN died from a lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure when he worked for a power company, an inquest has been told. ...

Archive for the ‘Mesothelioma’ Category
Asbestos.com, Florida - Jul 1, 2008
Caregiving arrangements often involve the adult children of those affected, as asbestos-related illnesses, including mesothelioma, can have a latency period ...

Asbestos.com offers free Assistance to Military Veterans
Asbestos.com, Florida - Jul 2, 2008
This exposure has lead to pleural mesothelioma with many veterans, which occurs in the lining of the lungs (a form of lung cancer) and is one of the ...

NW Evening Mail
Asbestos: A killer in the midst
NW Evening Mail, UK - Jun 26, 2008
One in four victims of the fatal asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma is now somebody from the construction trade. “In Barrow we see usually around 15 cases ...
‘What I want to know is, when are they going to get a cure?’ NW Evening Mail
all 4 news articles

The Mesothelioma And Asbestos Awareness Center Hails Supreme
TransWorldNews (press release), GA - Jun 24, 2008
Asbestos exposure has been conclusively linked to the onset of mesothelioma, a deadly form of lung cancer that has a survival rate of less than 1%. ...

LIVENEWS.com.au
New research body targets cure for asbestos illnesses
ABC Online, Australia - Jun 10, 2008
The Asbestos Research Group based at Brisbane's Wesley Hospital will examine the progression of diseases like mesothelioma and the impact of reduced lung ...
Banton widow launches research group Sydney Morning Herald
all 15 news articles

MAN PLANNED TO SUE FIRM OVER ASBESTOS, INQUEST TOLD
Lincolnshire Echo, UK - Jun 25, 2008
Charles Knott (80) died at his home just a month after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a lung condition brought on by exposure to asbestos. ...

lung mesothelioma asbestos - Google News

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