I will never forget October 2012 it was a month of horror for sure. The neighborhood was full of Halloween decor', there were ghost and goblins on display at my local supermarket, and it is the month our family received the horrifying news that my Mother In Law was diagnosed with Peritoneal Mesothelioma. This was the first serious medical concern anyone in our family had to face. And we made every decision following that diagnosis as a family.
As you can imagine, there were so many questions that immediately came to mind: • Can it be cured? • What are the best treatment options? • Will treatment hurt or make you feel bad? • How long will treatment take? • Will you have to stay in a hospital? • But the ultimate question was, "Mom, what is Mesothelioma and how do you get it"? Unfortunately many doctors have never encountered mesothelioma due to its rarity. This results in a high percentage of misdiagnoses when compared to other cancers. It is commonly misdiagnosed because the symptoms are typical to illnesses such as the common cold, flu and pneumonia. In understanding this, we began researching every aspect of this disease.
Exposure to asbestos fibers is the only proven cause of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. Patients are most often exposed to asbestos in occupational settings. For decades, the most likely way for a woman to develop mesothelioma cancer was through exposure from a husband, father, son, or other household relative who worked directly with hazardous asbestos. Military personnel are also at higher risk today than the general population for developing an asbestos-related illness like mesothelioma cancer. This is a result of the military's past reliance on asbestos, the primary cause of the disease, and the civilian jobs these veterans performed when they left the service. My father in law served in the Air Force and brought mom with him when he was stationed in Germany. The two of them enjoyed the time they spent in the country, totally unaware that asbestos products were commonly used on Air Force bases and in military housing.
Mom was blessed. They caught her cancer early, while the tumor was just beginning to form. Because of this, she advocate the importance of annual checkups as a form of preventative medicine, especially for anyone who may have worked around asbestos. Mom spent about two weeks recovering at MD Anderson, and then returned home. Always thinking of ways that she can serve, she started a nonprofit project while recovering from cancer treatment. Dubbed Warm Necks, she knitted 45 scarves for the Coalition of the Homeless while recovering and hopes to donate more scarves again this winter.
The word of God remind us that, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). This doesn't mean we have to die to show our love for our friends. We lay down our lives every time we put someone else's needs before our own. (And the "friends" mentioned in the scripture above can be understood to be everyone we meet, since Jesus also commanded us to "love one another.")We lay down our lives through service. We can do small acts of kindness for our neighbors, take part in community service, fulfill responsibilities within our local congregations or contribute towards humanitarian efforts. These actions, whether great or small, let us feel the happiness of connecting with our brothers and sisters and remind us that God often allows us to be the answer to someone else’s prayers. I like to think God placed Mesothelioma in my family's life so that we can touch the lives of others with encouragement and education about asbestos-related diseases.
As you can imagine, there were so many questions that immediately came to mind: • Can it be cured? • What are the best treatment options? • Will treatment hurt or make you feel bad? • How long will treatment take? • Will you have to stay in a hospital? • But the ultimate question was, "Mom, what is Mesothelioma and how do you get it"? Unfortunately many doctors have never encountered mesothelioma due to its rarity. This results in a high percentage of misdiagnoses when compared to other cancers. It is commonly misdiagnosed because the symptoms are typical to illnesses such as the common cold, flu and pneumonia. In understanding this, we began researching every aspect of this disease.
Exposure to asbestos fibers is the only proven cause of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. Patients are most often exposed to asbestos in occupational settings. For decades, the most likely way for a woman to develop mesothelioma cancer was through exposure from a husband, father, son, or other household relative who worked directly with hazardous asbestos. Military personnel are also at higher risk today than the general population for developing an asbestos-related illness like mesothelioma cancer. This is a result of the military's past reliance on asbestos, the primary cause of the disease, and the civilian jobs these veterans performed when they left the service. My father in law served in the Air Force and brought mom with him when he was stationed in Germany. The two of them enjoyed the time they spent in the country, totally unaware that asbestos products were commonly used on Air Force bases and in military housing.
Mom was blessed. They caught her cancer early, while the tumor was just beginning to form. Because of this, she advocate the importance of annual checkups as a form of preventative medicine, especially for anyone who may have worked around asbestos. Mom spent about two weeks recovering at MD Anderson, and then returned home. Always thinking of ways that she can serve, she started a nonprofit project while recovering from cancer treatment. Dubbed Warm Necks, she knitted 45 scarves for the Coalition of the Homeless while recovering and hopes to donate more scarves again this winter.
The word of God remind us that, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). This doesn't mean we have to die to show our love for our friends. We lay down our lives every time we put someone else's needs before our own. (And the "friends" mentioned in the scripture above can be understood to be everyone we meet, since Jesus also commanded us to "love one another.")We lay down our lives through service. We can do small acts of kindness for our neighbors, take part in community service, fulfill responsibilities within our local congregations or contribute towards humanitarian efforts. These actions, whether great or small, let us feel the happiness of connecting with our brothers and sisters and remind us that God often allows us to be the answer to someone else’s prayers. I like to think God placed Mesothelioma in my family's life so that we can touch the lives of others with encouragement and education about asbestos-related diseases.