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

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]