Stories of Hope
We call this our Wall of Hope – exclusive interviews with survivors of mesothelioma and their caregivers. We believe anyone affected by this terrible asbestos cancer, patient or family member, can benefit from knowing the experiences of others. Our Patient Advocates help many of them. And we dedicate this page to them all.
Connect With a Patient Advocate
Trina Clark, Survivor
It’s hard to forget where you were on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists declared war on America, crashing two commercial jets into New York City’s World Trade Center and another into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., dramatically changing the course of our nation. It’s even harder for Trina Clark, who felt so alone that day in [...]
Jacob Hess, Survivor
Mesothelioma survivor Jacob Hess has nothing to gain by touting the benefits of Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC). He just believes in it. And he believes in helping others. He is pretty good proof, too, at what it can do. Although not all cancer centers in America are using heated chemotherapy – its merits still are [...]
Rachele Baker, Caregiver
Rachele has taken the time to share her mother’s private journal while she battled mesothelioma. Here are some quotes that we discussed with her and wanted to share with the community. If you have a quote that inspires you, share it with us on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter. “Now I am getting stronger, taking fewer [...]
Rachele Baker, Caregiver
It wasn’t just another day cleaning the garage when Rachele Baker came across some old memories. These were memories from her mother’s journal that had been stowed away. The journal detailed every bit of her battle with mesothelioma. Rachele made a choice to share her mother’s experiences with everyone else affected by the cancer-causing mineral [...]
James Broomer, Survivor
When they left the hospital in June, Marilyn Broomer was told that her husband James now belonged in a hospice facility, where they could make him as comfortable as possible through his final weeks with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Fortunately, she didn’t listen, taking a detour to their home instead, arriving with her own shot-in-the-dark plan, [...]
Christine Shippen, Survivor
When we began our Survivor Insight Series, one of the first survivors who wanted to speak to us about mesothelioma was Christine Shippen. Christine received some exciting news recently and she would like to share. We want to thank her again for contributing to the Wall of Hope and inspiring mesothelioma patients around the world. [...]
Emily Ward, Survivor
For Emily Ward, the worst thing about recuperating the past eight weeks from pleural mesothelioma surgery wasn’t the dull pain in her chest that never really goes away. It is tolerable now. It wasn’t the foggy brain that left her wondering if she even made any sense when she spoke to friends and family. That [...]
Kathleen Angerman, Survivor
Kathleen Angerman already has the bus trip brochures sitting on the living room coffee table, awaiting only her next CT scan in December before making the final decision on where she goes next. She still has a lot of road miles to travel. Angerman, 68, is a pleural mesothelioma survivor from southern Wisconsin with an [...]
Lorraine Kember, Caregiver
Apart from our own dying experience, we will never be closer to – or understand more- the process of dying than when we are the caregiver of a fellow human being with a terminal illness. Most often it is our loved one who we will be caring for, making the task even more overwhelming. To [...]
Megan Hoel, Survivor
Megan sent us an update about her recent appointments. We would like to send our gratitude to Megan for continuing to share her story with the mesothelioma community. Tell us about how your treatment is going. I have officially been released from my oncologist Dr. Scoggins until April when I will return for a CT [...]
Lorraine Kember, Caregiver
There is a well-known saying that goes, “You never know until you have been there.” This was certainly true for me. There was no way that I could have imagined what it would be like to be told that my husband had cancer and, worse, that his cancer had no cure. I can still remember [...]
Megan Hoel, Survivor
Last week we shared Part 1 of Megan’s survivor insight. We are all happy to see the community’s response to Megan and would like to thank her again for sharing with all of us. Can you tell us more about your support network? All my life, I have always had an amazing support network. My [...]
Megan Hoel, Survivor
“My name is Megan Hoel, and I belong to your Mesothelioma Center Facebook page.” We are excited when people express that they belong to our community. So many mesothelioma patients aren’t sure where to turn to for support and information. We are happy to have run into Megan on our Facebook page. After reaching out [...]
Ward Stanley, Survivor
Ward Stanley doesn’t sound like a 79-year-old man battling malignant pleural mesothelioma. He sounds like a man making plans for a very busy future. “I’m happy right now, in great shape,” Stanley said from his home in Rhinebeck, New York. “Sure, this cancer can slow you down. Just being 79 gets in the way of [...]
Michelle Marshall, Survivor
Michelle Marshall wanted something special – something she could keep – to commemorate the past 10 years. She wanted something that could help her through the next decade, too. She wanted FAITH, a blue-and-red tattoo written in cursive on the inside of her left wrist, where she could find it anytime she needed an emotional [...]
Tim Crisler, Survivor
Tim Crisler was prepared to concede. He had decided against any grueling chemotherapy or any radical surgery that, at best, would only prolong an inevitable end. There is no cure for malignant pleural mesothelioma, and he saw no reason to lengthen a fight. Then his daughter dropped a three-page, hand-written letter into his lap at [...]
Jan Egerton, Survivor
Loved hearing from Jan last week? Here is the continuation of the interview. If you missed last week, here is Part 1. What do you think about the mesothelioma community since joining Facebook? I think the mesothelioma community on Facebook is amazing. People are so open about what is happening with treatments, how they feel [...]
Jan Egerton, Survivor
It has been a while since we have last heard from Jan, so I wanted to reach out to her to see how she has been. If there are specific questions I haven’t covered that you would like to ask Jan, feel free to comment below. What has changed in regards to your diagnosis since [...]
James Brennan, Caregiver
James Brennan wasn’t sure how best to assist when his father was diagnosed with mesothelioma. The sense of helplessness grew as he watched his father’s health decline, despite getting the best possible care. So Brennan ran. And ran some more. And continues to run. “I feel now like I’m doing something worthwhile to help,” said [...]
Jacob Hess, Survivor
The self-portrait of Jacob Hess speaks volumes about his attitude toward the diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma he received in 2010. Hess titled it “Jake the Invincible,” a caricature of him standing triumphantly atop the mesothelioma carnage that was expected to crush him, much like it has so many others. He refused to wave a white [...]
Suzanne Prymek, Caregiver
Suzanne, or as she prefers Sue, joined our mesothelioma community by way of Facebook. Through our interactions with her on the social site, we learned about her losing her husband Smoe to mesothelioma, and how it’s motivated her to spread awareness. Read on to hear more about Sue’s journey with mesothelioma, we hope she inspires [...]
Julie King, Survivor
Julie King received a diagnosis of early stage mesothelioma more than 30 years ago, and she is still alive to tell her story. She believes she got the disease after being exposed to asbestos as a child.
Tammy Frank, Survivor
Tammy Frank never was afraid of dying. She was afraid of leaving her young children without enough good memories of their mother. Shortly after doctors told her she had peritoneal mesothelioma, she quietly picked out, and paid for, her own cemetery plot, a nice shaded spot with a great view not far from home. Then [...]
Lyn Johnson, Survivor
Lyn Johnson has been a mesothelioma survivor for around 5 years. However, she is no stranger to what mesothelioma can do. She saw her father succumb to the disease 18 years earlier. We would like to thank her for sharing her insight on the trials she has had to go through. We always appreciate hearing [...]
Louise Carr, Caregiver
Louise participated in our Asbestos Awareness Week events on Facebook, and was inspired to share her story with us and the community. Louise lost her father in April of 2010 to mesothelioma. Read on as she shares her family’s journey with her father’s diagnosis. What were the events that led up to your father’s diagnosis? [...]
Leon Delikat, Survivor
With an assist from the Mesothelioma Center, Florida couple Leon and Sheri Delikat navigate through a diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma.
Wendy Morris, Survivor
Wendy Morris is a 14-year mesothelioma cancer survivor. Her mesothelioma case is very unique as it presented itself in a reverse pattern. Wendy is an active member of our mesothelioma community on Facebook and was willing to share her story with others through our Survivor Insight Series. What were the events that led up to [...]
James Bard, Caregiver
James Bard gave me a call recently to talk about a mesothelioma fundraising event he will be hosting in October. After a few minutes of talking, I knew there was more to his story. It turns out James works with the State of Florida as a Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist. What that means it [...]
Sean Rickard, Survivor
Sean shares his personal experience in being diagnosed with mesothelioma, his treatment options, and his personal motto for staying positive each and everyday.
Angela Winsor, Survivor
Angela Winsor of Michigan is a rarity in the world of mesothelioma. She is young, she is a woman and she is not a veteran. She does not know what caused her to get mesothelioma, but she is determined to live her busy life and defeat the disease.
Karen Roberts, Survivor
In this week’s Survivor Insight, Karen Roberts, a mother and wife, shares her mesothelioma experiences with us and the community. We would like to start by thanking Karen for sharing this personal moments with us all. What were the events that led up to your diagnosis? I went for an annual check-up and decided due [...]
Karen Savarese, Survivor
We would like to thank Karen Savarese for sharing her mesothelioma experiences with us and the community. If you would like to share your experiences with others that are going through mesothelioma treatment, please feel free to contact the outreach team at outreach@asbestos.com. We are always looking to spread mesothelioma knowledge with others. What were [...]
Bob Oberstar, Survivor
Bob Oberstar refused to give in to mesothelioma. He has already survived nearly seven years since being diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 2005, and he's spending his retirement doing what he loves -- fishing and hunting in Wisconsin.
Rob Harris, Caregiver
Rob Harris is a Human Resources professional that specializes in assisting corporate executives with their strategic and employee relations needs. However, his main duties lie in his roll as a caregiver for his wife. She is a two time cancer survivor from lymphoma and sarcoma. He describes his life as caregiver as being “enriched beyond [...]
Deidre vanGerven, Caregiver
Deidre vanGerven began documenting her experiences with mesothelioma since her husband was diagnosed in 1997. Over the years she has continued to speak out against the asbestos industry. We would like to thank her for taking her time and answering a few questions for us. What were the events that led up to Thomas’ diagnosis? [...]
Alexis Kidd, Survivor
Alexis Kidd of Houston, Texas, is newly married and loving life after exceeding her life expectancy after her mesothelioma diagnosis. Kidd married rocker boyfriend Christian Arnheiter and now spends her days sharing her optimism about life.
Yvonne O'Connell, Caregiver
Yvonne O’Connell lost her husband Pete back in August to mesothelioma. We would like to thank her for reaching out to us through our Facebook to share her experiences and to all those affected by mesothelioma that continue to reach out to the community. If you are interested in more information about mesothelioma and support [...]
Jo Denham, Survivor
We would like to thank Jo Denham for sharing her experiences with us. The support within the community continues to grow with these first hand perspectives. What were the events that led up to your diagnosis? I had pain in my ribs/chest when I took a deep breath. One year passed without a clear diagnosis, [...]
Lou Williams, Survivor
Louise Williams has been affected by mesothelioma since the diagnosis of her father. Currently she is an international advocate for mesothelioma and asbestos related diseases. We would like to thank her for speaking about her experiences with us. Can you tell me about your fathers mesothelioma diagnosis? My dad Norman Heritage was diagnosed in January [...]
Wayne Neal, Survivor
Wayne Neal knows exactly what caused the mesothelioma cancer that pushed him into an earlier-than-planned retirement as a union electrician in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also knows what stopped it from killing him. Asbestos was the culprit. Cherries were the cure. Yes, cherries, the red tart cherries that are grown in Michigan, the ones he always [...]
Ray Nye, Caregiver
Ray and Mavis Nye have been married since the fourth day of June in 1960. For over 51 years they have shared their lives together. Even when Mavis was diagnosed with mesothelioma, Ray took on the duties of a caregiver. We would like to thank Ray for speaking with us and giving us his perspective. [...]
Mavis Nye, Survivor
Ben Leer spoke with Mavis Nye for this post contributing to The Mesothelioma Center’s Survivor Insight Series. Mavis is a survivor and fighter of pleural Mesothelioma. Mavis joins us today to share her story. What were the events that led up to your diagnosis? My arms went numb and I burnt myself with an iron and didn’t [...]
Christine Shippen, Survivor
As part of our ongoing Survivor Insight series we spoke with Christine Shippen. Christine is a survivor & fighter of Epitheliod Malignant Mesothelioma. She suspects she was exposed to asbestos from her father’s clothes, coming home from an asbestos cement plant. Christine joins us for a conversation about her journey. What were the events that led [...]
Jan Egerton, Survivor
Jan truly is a fighter. She has been battling mesothelioma for more than seven years. Her blog and website serve as a great resource for survivorship and information. She has agreed to answer a few questions about her experience with mesothelioma. Tell me about your diagnosis. I had a hard time getting diagnosed. Having had [...]
Show Your Support With a Badge
Please show your support of mesothelioma cancer survivors by displaying one of the Wall of Hope badges on your website, blog or on Facebook.
It's easy, just copy the code from the badge that you would like to display and paste it. Once pasted you will display the badge proudly on your site showing your support to those in the fight against mesothelioma!
Don’t have a website? Request a free wristband to show your support for all mesothelioma fighters!
