I'll be honest, when I was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma there three years ago, I did not know exactly what she was.
If there were no law asbestos lawyers running advertisements every day, I would not have ever heard the word mesothelioma, much less know its meaning. It is a cancer primarily caused by exposure to asbestos ?? a highly toxic mineral used in numerous products.
The truth is that this cancer is aggressive and deadly, and he always steals silently under the radar compared to other types of cancers, because it is less common.
Take, for example, breast cancer. the records of the American Cancer Society show that more than 232,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2013. It is a devastating statistic and it is why tons of money, awareness and research are versed in the search for a cure.
Unfortunately, those of us in the asbestos cancer category receive less attention because less than 3,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year. On the positive side, asbestos was phased out of most products in the US and thank you God there are doctors who work tirelessly to eradicate this disease. But it is not enough.
Questions remain, despite awareness campaigns
Congress in 2010 declared September 26 as Mesothelioma Awareness Day. Since then, numerous events have been planned throughout the United States to draw attention to the disease. This is a good start but not the end. Meanwhile, we must continue to raise awareness and let people know that there are lives continue to be lost from a building material used several years ago that remains in our existing buildings.
There are still schools in my community with exposed asbestos. It hurts me every time I think about students who go to school to learn, but could later develop mesothelioma to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It is my desire to meet with my state representatives to ensure that asbestos abatement is performed at each school with asbestos exposure in my parish.
Because asbestos is a thing of the past, I do not think anybody takes seriously.
I have come across many in the medical community who are still in the dark about mesothelioma. People ask me all the time, "Is not that caused by asbestos? What?" These questions let me know that there is much work to do.
I just talk actively about the asbestos cancer, its causes and the lingering effects.
I encourage you to take time Thursday to remember those who lost their battle and inform at least 10 people from this terrible disease. My customers will walk in my bakery on Thursday and find little blue cakes for awareness to asbestos and Mesothelioma Awareness Day.
I will distribute blue bracelets Asbestos.com to every customer who comes into my workplace. They will not only learn what it means mesothelioma, but they will be able to put a face on the disease, and remember that others and I continue to fight and win.
