A Cancer Story

I have only mentioned Cancer in one post. That's the link below. It includes a long list of Charity donation sights for various causes.

http://homewithmommy-fran.blogspot.com/2013/01/charities-generosity-and-703.html

I have a cousin who is a Breast Cancer survivor. My Grandpa, the one I'm named after, most likely died of Lung Cancer thanks to his love of his pipe. My Uncle died of Cancer (the Cousin's father but I forget what he had), Josh's Uncle died of Cancer, a family friend my parent's age died of Cancer, and Josh's Grandma died of four different Cancers a month before the wedding. It was chilling to open a shower gift only to see it was from her. Josh's Mom and I shared a look when I read the card. For the wedding I wore a pearl necklace Josh and I had given her as a gift. When saying "goodbye" at the wedding Josh's Mom thanked me for wearing that necklace. She was like a Grandma to me too so for me there was no hesitation.

It's a hard thing for me to talk about. Cancer comes out of nowhere. Everything it seems can potentially cause Cancer and we all know at least one person who has/had it. Everyday there are stories all over the Internet about strong Cancer survivors. This is one of them. But it's not a common Cancer like Breast Cancer. It's a highly fatal Cancer called Mesothelioma which you get from Asbestos. It's Heather's story. This is her video:

http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather

Today I got an email from Heather. If you read the comment section of my Mother's Day post from this year you will see that Heather asked me to email her. She has Mesothelioma. Here is more information on that:

Mayoclinic:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mesothelioma/DS00779


WebMD:
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/mesothelioma-11211

I haven't talked about Cancer yet because early death is my biggest fear. Sometimes, no matter how good you are about taking care of yourself you still get Cancer anyway. Too many parents have lost their beloved children to Cancer. It's one of the reasons St. Jude's is my favorite Charity.

Heather asked me to share her story to raise awareness of this little-known cancer. She thought this blog would be a great place for it. I instantly agreed. Here is a website with more information. I am also including a link for donations to help with research. Let's find a cure. Let's help more people who normally would die within 15 - 18 Months live many years more.

Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation:

http://www.curemeso.org/site/c.kkLUJ7MPKtH/b.3076109/k.FF9C/Mesothelioma_Applied_Research_Foundation.htm


Donations:

https://www.kintera.org/site/c.kkLUJ7MPKtH/b.3930823/k.9075/Donation_Form/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?c=kkLUJ7MPKtH&b=3930823&en=nsJNIZNELaLRLXNAKaLNI9PULoKUL6OIIcIMI1PKKjKZJjK

The families of Cancer patients fight hard to do what they can to help. Sometimes the battle is won sometimes it's lost but it's always painful. Families who have lost a loved one to Cancer might find all these survivor stories hard to take. Why did they survive and not my loved one? So I want to take a moment of silence to think about those who didn't win their fight and their families. I share my condolences with them. Since prayer is part of my religion I will type the prayers below. If prayer is not part of your religion then please find your own way to respect those who lost their Cancer battle.

God, I wish to pray for those who have died and their families. I hope they are resting in peace. They are missed and never forgotten. I don't know the pain of losing a parent or child too soon but I do wish I could hug those that do. Please help us find a cure for these fatal diseases. Amen!

Heather, I am happy to be able to share your story and I hope it does bring more awareness. Most people with Mesothelioma are not as lucky as you are but it's a wonderful thing that you are proof that surviving this powerful Cancer is possible. Your beautiful daughter is blessed to have you alive for her. Please keep in touch. Maybe at some point in the future I can do a follow-up post.

https://mesothelioma.net/mesothelioma-awareness-day/

https://mesothelioma.net/mesothelioma/