Heather H. moved to Colorado 16 years ago to enjoy the great outdoors, reveling in the freedom that came with the hiking, biking and especially snowboarding these winding, winter mountain trails, loving life with such youthful exuberance.
it has not yet done.
malignant peritoneal mesothelioma can have its floored temporarily, but this lifestyle she lived has provided the motivation to fight, believing that she can beat the long odds and steal
in the snow again.
This is a rare cancer incurable and few proven treatment options, but it is even more rare patients - young, dynamic and confident -. with much more life to
"I am determined to get back where I was, to get up on that map again," said Heather Asbestos.com his home in Colorado, nearly four months after his last surgery. his surname is withheld on privacy.
"at least a good lower race of the mountain, which is my goal, to get my mind and body built back to where it should be. I know I can do it again. I'm not ready to give up yet. I can not use the word "can not. "
Heather, 40, launched an ambitious and aggressive rehabilitation campaign, built around conventional and integrative medicine with a wide range of support system that starts with her husband, Curt, and their 7 year old daughter, Stori.
the combination of traditional and alternative medicine
She works with an oncologist, chiropractor, massage therapist and acupuncturist and nutritionist. They all contribute to support his belief that mind, body and soul must be in unison to fight against this cancer.
the process includes health classes and wellness, meditation, yoga and Jin Shin Jyutsu, the ancient Oriental art of harmonizing the life energy in the body. Its diet is now strictly organic and around the essential oils produced by doTERRA, a company that sells health products in the US the essential oils are taken topically, aromatically and ingested.
"I need chemotherapy to do what this does. He kept me alive, "she said." But these other components, integrative medicine pieces, helped me thrive today. I think your mental state is huge in this fight. You can afford to go to dark places, but you can not stay there. You can get emotional [about the disease], but you must spend it. "
Heather was living the good life no longer and not far from Denver, happily mixing his young family and love of the outdoors. She and Curt had met originally on tracks. their daughter added to their idyllic way of life. She worked one day a week in a ski resort, allowing full use of the mountain family. She also worked at a kindergarten where her daughter attended.
Diagnosis was difficult to get
life was good until things started to go really wrong inside her. for nearly two years, she knew something was wrong - abdominal pain, weight gains in excess of fluid and unexplained - but doctors never could identify the disease X-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, blood tests and myriad sting and insistence. endless failed to diagnose the problem accurately.
Surgery for what they believed was ovarian cancer in February turned into a shocking diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma, which had already spread to her abdomen. The diagnosis began its search for the best specialist she could find.
She rejected the origin of the perspective of life-change surgery, instead of taking a vacation in Florida, where she and Curt Stori sitting on a white sand beach and hugged the another, contemplating the future.
"I just had to wrap my mind around the whole thing. I remember watching the two of them play in the water, the sun was setting, and then saying: "I do not want to die yet. I will not nulpart. I'll do surgery and come out stronger, "she recalls. "I want to be there to drive my daughter to school."
Two days later, she and Curt flew to Pittsburgh, where they met the surgeon James Pingpank, Jr., the renowned specialist peritoneal at UPMC cancer. the cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) proceedings lasted almost 12 hours. It has removed as much of the cancerous growth as possible, then washed the stomach cavity with a heated solution, the chemotherapy.
exposure to asbestos as a child
After three weeks in the hospital, she was driven to near Youngstown, Ohio. It's where she grew up. His parents still live there. It is likely that as a child in Youngstown she was exposed to asbestos fibers that caused later mesothelioma.
many members of his family had worked in the steel mills, one of the pillars of the asbestos industry. His father worked at General Fireproofing, where they made fireproof safes, steel furniture and aircraft parts. He came home with his fire jacket every day covered with asbestos. She often played in it. Nobody had a toxic idea it was.
The postoperative period was difficult. She developed pneumonia and spent a week in a Youngstown hospital. They drove to Pittsburgh for some, the complex followed surgery.
She eventually returned home to Colorado in mid-August, find out just how many friends she had, from his earliest years in Youngstown in his last years in Colorado. There were fundraisers to help with expenses, rallies to help with everything she needed. It was filled in the cards and well wishes from.
An aunt drives two hours a week just to take him to the Jin Shin Jyutsu class. She has friends who run errands for her, and help Stori.
"The incredible support has helped me through so many dark days. I literally got at least one card in the mail every day since my diagnosis. church people, people from work, people I've never met people from other countries, "she said." This whole experience has made me realize the power of friendship. I never say that I am grateful for having to go through this, but in some ways, it was a positive experience. "
Remaining optimistic
Its future is now covered, but it seen that the sun. They call it "Heather Serrant" for a reason. She loves people there, even when she is not feeling well. Even on his days down - and there are many - she loves friends in the house. She sleeps better with chatter all around. She loves to hug friends and to be embraced.
The final analysis CT taken just before Thanksgivings showed no signs of disease and no evidence of cancer progression, who left his exalted.
"I'm going to get through this. I am," she said. "I will not let people down who have supported me through it all. They were devastated when I told them what I had. And if I can help someone else through this, let me know. I'll ride this board again. "
