Our blog aims to spread awareness of mesothelioma and share stories that a patient or loved one can relate to. We interview survivors of the disease, recap our monthly support group and blog about caregiving, raising awareness, veteran issues and tips for leading a healthy lifestyle. In addition we bring light to how asbestos cancer affects patients and their families.
Mesothelioma survivor Jim Huff always wanted to learn how to play the guitar, but he never quite found the time. Work and family obligations always took precedence — until now. A diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma 10 months ago finally made it happen, leading him into the music store where his guitar lessons began and…
From World War II to the Vietnam War, U.S. Navy shipbuilders used asbestos-containing materials extensively. Every branch of the military demanded the use of the famously fireproof mineral, and the Navy was the largest consumer of asbestos by far — until asbestosis and mesothelioma began to afflict veterans and former shipyard workers by the thousands….
Despite living in different states and having significant age differences, my siblings and I have a pretty solid relationship. We visit each other as often as schedules allow and video chat weekly to help maintain our emotional bonds. Being close to one another requires a coordinated effort from all of us. We don’t let the…
Peter and Justine Upton and their three young children never imagined that they wouldn’t return to the place they called home after their neighbor’s asbestos shed exploded and burst into flames last September. The young Australian family’s unfortunate situation aired on a current affairs program earlier this month. It was a harrowing tale of a…
My dad always wore glasses or contacts to correct his nearsightedness. After his mesothelioma diagnosis, Dad started chemotherapy and began to notice some differences with his vision. However, dealing with the cancer took precedence over any eye issues. Dad stopped wearing contacts because his eyes became dry. We figured it was allergies or the central…
From my first memory, I have known the comfort that human touch can bring, but never have I appreciated it more than when caregiving for my husband Brian during his mesothelioma illness. The grief I suffered knowing there was no cure for his asbestos-related cancer sometimes became so overwhelming that my body would ache, especially…
Chuck Gast’s daily work commute consists of a half-mile walk to and from his home in Toledo, Ohio. It’s something he’s done since joining Yark Automotive Group in 2007. Gast never took it for granted, but he cherishes it more now after pleural mesothelioma took the simple pleasure away for an entire year. “Life has…
Distress. Hardship. Burden. These words describe the impact mesothelioma cancer treatment often has on a patient’s personal finances. However, a new term has arisen to give the concept of economic hardship a medical dimension: “Financial toxicity.” According to the National Cancer Institute, financial toxicity refers to “problems a cancer patient has related to the cost…
When it came to health and vitality, my husband Brian ticked all the boxes. After thirty years of marriage, I still marveled at his boundless energy and strength — the rival of men half his age. On the day of his 52nd birthday, he looked the same to me as he had on the day…
Gene Hartline was ready to concede after doctors at a highly rated, big-city cancer center told him there was little they could do for his advanced-stage mesothelioma. His family refused to believe it. Hartline returned home and found innovative medical oncologist Dr. Rama Balaraman. The two started a patient-doctor relationship that has given him new…
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