what a beautiful statement and relates so well to all aspects of life. I read it on a blog and not only did it resonate with me but so did the personal story of Heather Von St. James. She is a vibrant blogger who has dedicated her life to raising awareness for Mesothelioma. Just in case like me you were not aware what that is.. Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. It carries a poor prognosis and early detection is key!
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked in jobs where they inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers, or were exposed to airborne asbestos dust and fibers in other ways. Washing clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos also creates a risk for developing mesothelioma.
This story hit home for me and has a personal twist. My Grandpa was an electrician and my Dad spent many many hours as a young kid crawling around attics with my Grandpa. It was a trade he would do till he retired a few years ago. Last year he was dealing with some lung issues and the end result of that is a spot in his lungs that they equate to being there from too much exposure to Asbestos. Thankfully his are diagnosed as Pleural Plagues around his lung area. They do an annual CT scan and so far believe it's scar tissues.. so while we are thankful there are SO many who are not so lucky. So I am happy to share with you that...
September 26th is the 10th annual Mesothelioma Awareness Day. Awareness is key..I have found in my own journey to health & wellness.. so much we don't know keeps us from acting in a positive way. So please read Heather's story here at her blog http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/
I have been reading a lot about the disease and the struggles people with this disease go through and what hits me is the isolation that comes with disease. I think it's true for all disease and unless we are willing to share it with others we will remain alone. It's true of my struggle with mental illness and depression.. although mine is not severe it's still a constant battle of the mind and allowing myself to be alone and not share keeps me in the dark and worse than that it keeps others in the dark thinking they need to struggle through disease alone.. That should never be the case. So as a blogger I am joining in a community of like minded people to bring you some facts.
Asbestos kills more than 100,000 people annually.
It often takes 20 years after exposure for the first sign of sickness to hit.
And I ashamed to say Canada is still exporting Asbestos today.
So lets not be silent.
Raising awareness is key. Raise your voice.
http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/awareness/#.VCB2yigrV38
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