Book ending the week with Cancer Awareness. Mesothelioma Awareness Day is today!

Earlier this week, I made a plug for the upcoming Rock, Paper, Cocktails! shopping event that benefits below-the-belt cancers. (An event started by a real dynamo, Jennie McGihon.)  A few days before my post, I got an email from Heather Von St. James, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma; a rare and preventable cancer caused only by exposure to asbestos. When she was diagnosed at the age of 36 , she had just given birth to her daughter and was given 15 months to live. After a life saving surgery that included the removal of her left lung, she's made it her life's mission to spread awareness about mesothelioma and the dangers of asbestos. (A fellow passionista. I love it!) 


September 26th, 2014 marks the 10th anniversary of Mesothelioma Awareness Day, and it has been the driving force behind the movement to bring more attention and funding to this kind of cancer. Thus, I thought it fitting to start and end the week by spreading cancer awareness. To hear more about Heather and her story, click here. Here are some facts that blew me away about this kind of cancer: 

Mesothelioma commonly sits dormant

in the body for 20-50 years after

initial exposure to asbestos.

Between 2,500 and 3,000 new cases

of mesothelioma are diagnosed

each year. On average,

they are given 10 months to live.

Mesotheliom incidence in women is on

the rise because many women

experienced second hand exposure

from parents or spouses who worked

closely with asbestos.

This latter fact was the case with Heather. She had never worked with asbestos, but her father did, and secondhand exposure as a child was enough to make her sick decades later. Be sure to read through the Mesothelioma fact sheet below, and click here for more info. You can also check out another helpful website here. 

WWW.MESOTHELIOMA.COM