In this week's episode of "What Does That Really Mean?", Medical Outreach Director Kaylen Jackson discusses the differences between CT and PET Scans. What terms would you like to see us discuss next week?

We have been producing several info-graphics over the past month and you can find on our Mesothelioma Center Facebook page. There has been an exceptional amount of community members providing requests for specific content as well as supporting others in the community. If you would like to share an experience or request information, please feel free to email us at outreach@asbestos.com.

In case you missed any of our blog posts from this week, they are listed below.

Video: Benign vs. Malignant

In this week's "What Does That Really Mean?" video series, Patient Advocate Missy Edmunds breaks down the differences between a cytology and a biopsy.

Listen in as Kaylen Jackson, our Medical Outreach Director, discusses what you should do if you think you've been exposed to asbestos, either recently or years ago.

We've mentioned Kaylen Jackson quite a bit in a few of our most recent posts, but do you really know what it is that she does? In yesterday's Survivor Insight blog, a mesothelioma patient and his wife discussed how they got the opportunity to travel to a specialty center for treatment thanks to help from Kaylen. This is just one example of the great resource she could be to you. 

To contact Kaylen for more information on Doctor Match, you can call her at (800) 549-0544 or email her at Kaylen@asbestos.com

This was a very special week at The Mesothelioma Center; we celebrated the 5th annual Rare Disease Day. Each year the last day in February is publicized by EURODIS and NORD as a day to help spread awareness of all rare diseases.  What makes mesothelioma a rare disease?  Find out in our article below.

A few times a week we share asbestos images on our Facebook page.  This week we shared an attic filled with Zonolite vermiculite insulation and a vintage black and white checkered floor, which were very common in the 1950’s.  Visit our page and let us know you think of these images!

Rare Disease Day 2012: “Alone we are rare. Together we are strong.”

Have you subscribed to The Mesothelioma Center’s blog yet?  We recently redesigned the page and are posting more asbestos information than ever!

Many of our Facebook friends have been sharing great advice and sharing their treatment experiences.  If you have not joined our Facebook community yet, make sure you do so that you don’t miss the amazing information and resources other mesothelioma survivors are sharing.  Hope you have a great weekend!

Patient Advocate Insider:   Where Can I Find Lodging When Getting Mesothelioma Treatment?

Dealing with a mesothelioma diagnosis can be a frustrating and confusing process.  How do I find a surgeon? Get treatment? Find lodging?

Sound familiar?  Our patient advocates help patients and their families answer these questions every day.  I’d like to share a story I heard from our Director of Medical Outreach which was inspiring.

“Recently I had a patient contact me regarding his diagnosis and treatment options. Once I helped get them in touch with a specialized treatment facility, we started talking about travel and lodging and where they would be staying while in town for the patient's appointment. He let me know that money was very tight and that he didn’t know where he would be staying. I contacted the Hope Lodge, which had availability for him and he was able to stay there for the entire duration of his visit. Not only was he so thankful that such a comfortable, convenient and affordable place exists, but he also really appreciated the moral support he received from the other patients also staying at the Hope Lodge.”

Although local and federal government officials began regulating asbestos in the 1970s, there is plenty of evidence that asbestos is embedded in millions of homes, buildings and other structures in the United States. And too many lawsuits have proved that former servicemen, many of them in Navy, were unduly exposed to asbestos during their time on a ship.

I came across this old U.S. Navy video from 1980 days after reading about Canada's formal opposition to the U.S. ban of asbestos a generation ago and after seeing video from the Jon Stewart show of workers in India handling asbestos as if it were cotton candy.

Canada's push to make sure asbestos is considered a perfectly valid mineral is deeply rooted in that country's economy and its politics. As for India, leaders there have their heads pushed deep into the sand. Either that or they prefer to regulate their population by ensuring that construction workers (and may other unsuspecting citizens) are sure to come down with mesothelioma cancer over the next 50 years.

We were so fortunate to have the opportunity to interview Michelle Robbins from YogaBear.org last week.  She is the founder of the Yoga Healing Project; a program that expands yoga programs in hospitals across the U.S. to help cancer patients.  Here she discusses all of the benefits of yoga and the importance of involving restorative yoga in the lives of patients.

For more information on the Yoga Healing Project contact Michelle at Michelle.Robbins@yogabear.org.  Follow The Mesothelioma Center on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and information on complementary treatments for cancer patients.