Vanessa Denny is a student at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She is the second winner of the scholarship Asbestos.com Spring 2015 Essay.
I will never forget the phone call. I had just returned home after a long day at work and was preparing to relax for the evening.
There was my mother called me. As soon as I heard his voice, I knew something was wrong.
She called to tell me that my uncle had just died. The line was silent, and I couldn ?? t catch my breath. I ?? did not know what to say because my heart was filled with sadness. All I could do was cry and think about the son he left behind, and wish I could have seen and spoken with him once more.
My uncle had cancer of the prostate, and the disease took over her body quickly. The only good that came from this loss in my family was a passion for awareness of public health and education, which began to grow in me.
Mesothelioma Types
Cancer comes in many types and degrees of severity. Certain cancers, including lung cancer and breast cancer, receive much attention because they affect so many people. However, other cancers such as mesothelioma are rarely discussed.
The mesothelioma develops in the mesothelium, a tissue surrounding our lungs, stomach and the abdominal cavity. There are three types of mesothelioma:
- pleural: affects the lining of the lungs
- peritoneal: Affects the lining of the abdomen
- pericardial: affects the lining of the heart
However, pleural mesothelioma accounts for the majority of cases.
exposure to asbestos and its deadly consequences
disease is linked to exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a toxic mineral that has been widely used in building products and automotive the United States, but can also be found in the environment.
If these products containing asbestos are damaged, they often release of asbestos fibers into the air. When inhaled, these fibers can be trapped in the mesothelium. Over the decades, they can lead to mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a silent killer.
It may take many years after exposure to asbestos to experience symptoms, making it difficult for doctors to diagnose and treat patients accordingly.
This is why it is important that the careers of workers who can expose them to asbestos take steps to protect themselves.
Treatments to come and the growing awareness
Although surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are common treatment options for mesothelioma therapies are constantly changing and improving by through various clinical trials in research centers around the world.
National Institutes of Health is running a clinical trial involving immune suppressors in combination with SS1P, an experimental drug against cancer that targets cells that have mesothelin, a protein in normal mesothelial cells but overexpressed in people diagnosed with mesothelioma.
It is encouraging to know that promise of future treatment options that will improve the quality of life and prognosis of people with this disease.
In addition to these future treatments, it is the disease-awareness and the individuals, organizations and lawmakers take action to restrict or ban asbestos.
for example, US Senators Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., And Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Last week proposed the reduction of exposure to the database of asbestos (READ) Act to create a public database of products containing asbestos.
also on raising global awareness of asbestos week, celebrated April 1-7 loudspeakers groups present and hold events to spread the word about the dangers of asbestos and collect money to help find a cure for diseases related to asbestos.
Receiving a diagnosis of mesothelioma or other cancer can be scary, but remember there are many support groups that help patients and caregivers cope with the disease.
most attention we bring to rare diseases such as mesothelioma, the more people come to understand its devastating effects. Awareness is the key to protect us, to find a cure and supporting our community.
Vanessa Denny is a lead ophthalmic technician at a clinic in the retina in Fairfax, Virginia, and is pursuing a master's degree in global health program at George Mason University.
