Survivors Reflect: Faith and Spirituality After a Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Mesothelioma Survivors Describe Faith Before Their Diagnosis

Over our 19 years of speaking with mesothelioma survivors and caregivers, the topic of faith and spirituality comes up frequently. Some describe different approaches or tell us they don’t identify with these practices at all. We wanted to capture this range of experiences and understand more about how survivors and caregivers feel before and after diagnosis. 

Pleural mesothelioma survivor and contributor Michael Cole is someone we speak with often. In our conversations, he’s talked about the role faith plays in his life. In our most recent in-person video interviews with him, he shared more insights. He talked about how his faith played a central role in his life before his diagnosis and how over the decade since it has intersected with his mesothelioma journey. 

Michael shared, “Life is a journey that involves a lot of different experiences, some of them pleasant, some of them not pleasant. But we need to accept those things for what they are. I believe that we should have faith in our creator and have a firm belief that this is just a tiny drop in the bucket of what there is in reality. We’re just here for a little while, no matter what. I think that we need to accept that and be at peace with that and that helps tremendously in being able to get through situations like a major illness.”

His experience is one of many we heard. We spoke with mesothelioma survivors about faith, spirituality and mindfulness practices, and their perspectives vary widely.

Do Mesothelioma Survivors’ Views on Faith Change Over Time?

When speaking with us, some survivors describe shifts in how they relate to faith after their mesothelioma diagnosis. Peritoneal mesothelioma survivor Kasie Coleman, for example, tells us she was raised in the Baptist church and was very faithful before her diagnosis. After her diagnosis, she says she experienced a period of anger.

Kasie tells us, “I was shaken. I was very angry with God. How could you? Why would you? My kids are young! I’ll never forget, I had a literal yelling match with God one-on-one.” Her feelings continued to shift during her mesothelioma journey. She shares that today “faith is a huge part” of her life, adding, “I’m healed, and I firmly believe that. Now it’s like, other things can rattle me, but not cancer stuff.”

Survivors and caregivers described different experiences with how their faith changed. For many of the people who speak with us, their existing feelings on the subject of faith deepened after their diagnosis. 

Mesothelioma Survivors Reflect on Their Relationships With Faith and Spirituality Today

Survivors describe their current relationships with faith and spirituality in different ways. Some tell us these practices remain central to their daily lives. Others describe different approaches, from occasional engagement to practices like mindfulness. Others told us they engage with secular approaches to living with mesothelioma.

Michael Cole shared how he and his wife and caregiver, Tania, approached their relationship with faith during a particularly difficult moment during his mesothelioma treatment. He shares, “My wife climbed up on the hospital bed there beside me and we prayed about it. We prayed, giving thanks for our lives. I said, ‘Lord, whatever you want, it’s okay. We’re in your hands.'”

“Honestly, it was like 10,000 pounds lifted off our shoulders,” he says. “We were never that much in despair again, and it changed the whole dynamic of what we were feeling. That’s not to say that we don’t have our moments of difficulty, but that acceptance of whatever comes makes all the difference.”

Faith and Spirituality Practices Among Mesothelioma Survivors

Mesothelioma survivors describe various practices they turned to at the time of diagnosis and how those have evolved since. Kasie Coleman tells us, “I meditate now every morning. I definitely did not do that before and my prayers have increased.”

Pleural mesothelioma survivor Kevin Hession tells us, “I think I’ve always been a fairly religious person, but this changed me significantly. It’s kind of like it put my faith on steroids.” Kevin said this inspired him to pray more. Now he takes his rosary everywhere he goes. He recently volunteered to spend time praying for students and teachers at a Catholic school.

Over our years of speaking with mesothelioma survivors, they’ve shared details about diverse practices with us. In a conversation several years ago, peritoneal mesothelioma survivor Cindy Christopher described her own approach. For Cindy, riding roller coasters has become a practice of sorts, a way to prioritize joy and embrace life. She’s visited theme parks across the country since her surgery, seeking that adrenaline rush. “I don’t ever want to let go of that,” she told us.

Cindy added, “I don’t go to church, but I’m spiritual. I came to the conclusion I have more work to do for humanity. There is more good to be done. There is more beauty in life to see. There is more to life than hanging out and feeling sorry for yourself. There are more roller coasters to ride.” 

Survivors and caregivers describe a range of practices and approaches. Some of these include: participation in faith-based groups, meditation, spending time in nature, reflection and secular support groups. But for some, their practices and approach hasn’t changed and they don’t participate in any of these activities.

Caregiver Tania Cole Discusses Her Personal Experiences With Faith 

In our conversations with Michael and Tania Cole, both have talked about how central faith is to their lives and their relationship. Because Tania’s experience with faith is interconnected with Michael’s as she navigates this journey with him as his wife and caregiver, we wanted to share her unique perspective as well.

Tania faced Michael’s recovery from an aggressive extrapleural pneumonectomy, which removed his entire lung and surrounding tissue, rounds of chemotherapy, a second surgery with complications, immunotherapy and radiation treatments with him. She tells us, “I think what kept us strong is our faith. We have faith in God.”

She says when they met, “We were both Christians” and on this journey, “that’s what kept us going.” She adds, “We knew that we weren’t going through this journey by ourselves. I always felt that God was with me, and I would just listen to Christian songs and just be thankful.”

Tania shares, “I would pray a lot. I always prayed. I talk to God like He’s my friend. He’s my best friend. I would talk to God and say, ‘I’m anxious right now, what do I do?’ And then He would give me that peace just letting me know that everything was going to be okay. I just needed to trust in Him and believe that everything was going to be fine.”

Mesothelioma Survivor Kevin Hession Reflects on What Faith Has Meant to Him

Kevin tells us when he first received his diagnosis in 2021 he was in a state of shock. But he says when he reflected on this through the lens of his faith, “I came to a conclusion that, well, whether I have 1 more day or 5,000 more days, I better make the most of it. And I better make sure that I am acting as a Christian should.”

Kevin says this reframed his situation for him. He recounts, “I went from, ‘I hope I’m ready and I’m not sure that I am,’ to ‘I have an opportunity here.'” Having served as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion for more than a decade, helping give communion during mass or to those who are homebound or in the hospital, he was inspired to share his faith with fellow Catholics in the hospital who can’t attend mass. He now volunteers at the same hospital where he underwent his own decortication surgery in 2022, Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida.

He says he actually feels his diagnosis was a blessing.  Kevin explains, “I actually feel that God was sending me a message. He hit me over the head with a holy 2×4. He was basically saying Kevin, you’re now in the 4th quarter of your life. You got some things you have to work on, and I suggest you start working on them. I’ve been following that advice ever since then. I have a lot to live for and I have a lot to give because I think the Almighty is asking it from me.”

While visiting with people while he gives them communion in the hospital, he says, “I see patients with all kinds of conditions. I see some that are actually in worse shape now than I am. This is my opportunity to tell them, ‘I was in a bed just like what you’re laying in right now. I know what it’s like.’ I have a lot of street cred with the patients. They know that I know from a firsthand standpoint what they’re going through. I can share my story with them, and it gives them a sense of hope. It gives them a sense that somebody does recognize what they’re going through and for me that’s extremely satisfying.”

Supportive Care Experts on Faith, Spirituality and Secular Resources

Many hospitals and cancer centers offer supportive care services related to faith, spirituality and mental health. These include chaplain services, spiritual care counselors, faith-based groups, support groups and secular mental health resources. Supportive care professionals work with patients and families across the full spectrum of spiritual and secular perspectives.

Chaplains and spiritual care experts describe their role as providing a compassionate presence and connecting people to resources that align with their personal values. Mental health professionals may incorporate secular mindfulness, creative expression or other practices into their work with patients. The availability and structure of these services varies at different treatment centers.

Reverend Will Feinberg on Spirituality in Hospice Care

Reverend Will Feinberg, a Unitarian Universalist minister and recently retired hospice chaplain, worked in hospice care for 24 years. In our interview with him, he describes spirituality in philosophical terms that transcend religious contexts, viewing it as a fundamental human capacity for connection that’s present in all human experience.

Will shares, “Everyone has a spirituality, everyone. Even if you’re a Humanist. Even if you’re an atheist, even if you’re a Christian or Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, everyone has a spirituality. It may or may not be connected to religion, but everyone has a spirituality which connects them to that which is larger than themselves. When it’s a movement that is life-giving, the person becomes more open and expansive, less fearful, less judgmental and more accepting.”

Will told us that many of the people he’s talked to in hospice care leaned on religion or spirituality as a way to come to peace with their diagnosis. It comforted many of them as they neared the end of their lives. He says, “So it’s not that one religion is better or worse. In my opinion, I know there would be some who disagree, but in my opinion, it’s: What is it that brings you peace?”

Will also shared his belief that spirituality is more than just being about oneself. It’s a way to help others. He tells us, “Spirituality is also social. When you’re able to look beyond yourself it becomes: How can I also be there for others, be it other people in my family, other people in my community or other people who are suffering?”

One mesothelioma patient Will worked with couldn’t forgive the companies that used asbestos in their products that caused his cancer, despite being a man of faith. Will says the man used his anger at these companies responsible for his illness to do some good. Will explains, “So what he did was he turned his anger into something positive, which was working with other cancer survivors in a support group. Helping other people who’ve experienced it.”

Dana Nolan on Mental Health Support for Cancer Patients

Licensed mental health counselor Dana Nolan moderates The Mesothelioma Center’s monthly support group. She also works with cancer patients in her private practice, helping them with the emotional impact of their diagnoses. In our interview with her, she describes how faith can play a role in mental health for some patients, while emphasizing it’s not appropriate or necessary for everyone.

In  settings like the support group she moderates, Dana says she monitors group dynamics carefully to ensure everyone’s perspectives and spiritual beliefs are respected. One concern she watches for is the unintended impact when someone attributes their positive outcome to faith. 

Dana explains, “If somebody’s cancer treatment is working or they’re in remission, it’s common  for a person of faith to say, ‘I know it was my faith that healed me.’ What that can sound like to somebody whose disease isn’t responding well to treatment is, ‘Well, then I must not be praying enough or I’m not practicing my faith well enough so  my disease is progressing.’”

Dana explains, “Attending a church service or a Bible study can bring a sense of normalcy. It can help people feel connected to others and that practicing their faith is something mesothelioma can’t take away. And all of that can have positive effects on anxiety and depression. But if someone is not particularly religious and experiencing anxiety or depressive symptoms,   I  would not suggest engaging in faith practices if there’s some spiritual ambivalence. Because there are other effective ways to treat symptoms of depression and anxiety.”

She adds participating in faith-based activities can provide social and emotional benefits beyond spiritual support. She says, “There’s a couple of different components of faith. There’s your own spiritual beliefs and your relationship with a higher power. Then there’s the social aspect of faith practices.  Just getting out of the house to go to a religious  service or church picnic can be helpful. It can get your mind off your worries and you can feel a little bit normal at church, sitting there participating and that can be helpful too.”