May Palacpac, Storyteller

I received a message in one of my blog pages weeks ago. It was from a woman named Heather Von St. James asking me if she could discuss something with me about my blog.

Normally, I wouldn’t even bother checking on messages like this but I ran into the exact same message posted on comment threads on different Google plus accounts which got me a bit curious.

I took to Google to figure out what this woman wanted from me. My efforts led me to a site on Mesothelioma cancer.

Heather Von St. James, apparently, is a Mesothelioma cancer survivor.

Understanding Mesothelioma

I’m no expert on Mesothelioma but I can only tell you what I understand of it from a commoner’s perspective.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that attacks the linings in your body that protects your internal organs. It’s rare but for most people affected, it’s fatal.

Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to Asbestos. If you wash the clothes of someone who’s worked with Asbestos, you can run the risk of acquiring the cancer.

Heather Von St. James didn’t work around Asbestos, her father did.  It was her being around his clothes that made her sick.

Asbestos can be found in homes, schools and other buildings.  Heather wants to raise awareness on the health risks, fronting a campaign to save lives.

She has every reason to do so, her child almost lost her mother.

Heather’s story

Who can better tell her story but Heather herself?

Heather speaks of hope

Heather is proof that people can beat Mesothelioma.

But why wait till people are sick with it when we can raise awareness on the harmful effects of Asbestos and push for funding for research, treatment and solution now?

Banning Asbestos can be a start but there are other things that need to be done.

Talk about it with your friends, blog on it, share about it on your social media accounts…..spread the word.

If you want to know more about Mesothelioma, treatments and treatment centers and how else you can participate in Heather’s advocacy, visit this website.