Category: Mesothelioma
Help Your Loved Ones Cope With, and Enjoy, Thanksgiving
Mesothelioma patients and their families may be hard-pressed to find anything to be thankful for this time of year. They may be coping with feelings of sadness, depression and fatigue that are contradictory to the festiveness of the season. However, turning their thoughts and conversations to what they still have – friends and family – instead of focusing on their hardships can make a difference in their outlook.
Experts at University of Wisconsin note that the way friends and families interact with their loved ones can make a big difference in a mesothelioma patient’s ability to cope during this time. The holidays can be a tense time for cancer patients, and they may not want to talk about their health or situation. Take the cue from them in guiding the conversation.
Expert Insight
Henry David Thoreau
“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.”
Giving someone suffering from mesothelioma a false sense of the future can leave them feeling betrayed when their health begins to fail them. Instead of saying “You’ll be fine,” and “It will be okay,” the UW cancer care team suggest you say or ask the following to help boost their mood:
- “Is there anything I can help you with?”
- “I’m here for you.”
- “Would you like to talk about it?”
- Or simply, “Happy Holidays – it is so nice to see you!”
Even if your loved one is in the hospital over Thanksgiving, taking the time to think of something to be grateful for can lighten the mood. Just sitting quietly and watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or a football game on TV can lessen the stress and loneliness of being in the hospital.
Remember too, that there are services available to help patients and their families cope with the holidays. Take advantage of the experts who can give you a healthy perspective on your feelings.
Holidays are a time to enjoy and reconnect with family and friends which is particularly important for someone who is ill. Try to not dwell in the past or to think too much about the future. Instead take the time to enjoy the moment. It is true that the future for mesothelioma patients and their families is uncertain, but staying grounded in the present can help keep negative thoughts at bay.
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
Mesothelioma Nurse Honors American Veterans
November 11 is the day that Americans set aside for honoring our veterans. Today, less than one percent of the people in the United States serve in the military. Mesothelioma makes up less than one percent of all cancers, yet, approximately 33% of all U.S. mesothelioma victims are veterans. Using the often cited number of between 2,500 and 3,000 newly diagnosed mesothelioma cases per year, it would follow that between 750 and 1,000 of those patients are veterans who served our country.
Veterans, like mesothelioma victims, come from all socio-economic backgrounds, faiths, and walks of life. Over the years, it has always been an honor for me to care for our veterans and families that develop mesothelioma. After sacrificing for our country, decades before, they are then afflicted with mesothelioma.
In recent years, improvements have been made in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs system for caring for mesothelioma veterans whose diagnosis is service related. Claims are now fast-tracked, and the VA acknowledges that the condition is service-connected. Reach out and educate a veteran who is also diagnosed with mesothelioma about the possibility of benefits.
Don’t let today go by without remembering a veteran. This year, more so than in years past, there seems to be more public attention to honoring our veterans. Whether it is displaying a green light, or giving veterans free oil changes, it is a day to honor, and thank those few among us who continue to keep us safe by serving our country.
We would like to thank all our veterans, those currently serving in our military, and those attending our service academies. To choose to serve our country, when so many other avenues are open for young adults, is a source of inspiration for all of us.
If you have questions about your mesothelioma treatment or any aspect of your mesothelioma care, please email me at [email protected].
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
Heading to the Mountains Allowed Dad to Escape Mesothelioma
I say it all the time, my Dad was so much more than a disease. He should be defined for being an incredible husband, father, brother, and friend. He should be remembered for his character and sense of humor, not as someone who had mesothelioma. Dad never wanted the burden of being ill for himself or anyone else; he wanted to be Donnie, not Donnie who had cancer.
Mesothelioma did not change who my father was. It changed his ability physically, but his personality and values remained unchanged. Most of the time, he just wanted to be away from everything that reminded him of his cancer.
Dad loved spending time in the mountains, and this is where he would go when he wanted to get away from it all. We would take rides, go out for dinner, and stop at scenic overlooks to just take some time to relax. He loved playing bluegrass music with his band; it seemed like when he was on stage, he could let go and just be himself, smiling and singing.
Spending time at home with his family was always high on his priority list. He loved getting lost in old stories and making new memories. But he wasn’t afraid to say that he didn’t want to talk about mesothelioma anymore if it were brought up in conversation. Dad was determined not to let this disease run his life. Life is so much more than one setback, it is the sum of all that you are. Dad’s sum total was a beautiful life and he is loved and missed every single day.
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
Ask Jennifer: How to Manage Mesothelioma’s Financial Burden?
Health care is expensive; being treated for mesothelioma is daunting enough without having to consider the financial strain. A lot of meso patients travel for treatment, adding additional expenses to the already large number looming overhead. Sometimes, I fear that the cost may impact someone’s decision to receive the best care available.
When my Dad was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, we started on a journey in many ways. One of these journeys was traveling to New York City, eventually making it our second home. Hotel employees knew us by name, servers at restaurants we frequented would talk about seeing friends of ours who had just been there – who were also in NYC for treatment. Life in NYC is expensive as anyone can imagine, but the cost was well worth the benefit for my father.
Starting our trips to NYC, we weren’t sure how we would handle it. Hotel accommodations and meals were a great expense and we were grateful for the gifts and donations that generous family members and friends provided. When Dad needed to stay in the city for six weeks, we were blessed to find that Dad met the criteria to stay at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge; they provided a wonderful place for Mom and Dad at no charge.
Figuring out everything that goes along with a mesothelioma diagnosis can be a huge task, but there are people who can help you. Contact the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation; they were an unbelievable help to my family. They can provide you with information that can change things for the better.
When considering the cost of cancer care, don’t count out any treatment because of monetary implications. It is well worth researching aid and help that you may be able to receive. After all, you or your loved one’s health is worth more than any dollar amount!
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
Contact Your Congressional Representative to Encourage Implementation of Mesothelioma Registry
In August, Congressman John Katko of New York introduced a bill into Congress to create a mesothelioma registry. This is a huge step in the fight against mesothelioma; other conditions, diseases, and types of cancers have seen advances such as improved life expectancy and better treatments due to registry implementations. Registries are extremely helpful in the terms of a rare disease like mesothelioma. Oftentimes, doctors and scientists around the country are unable to complete their research due to a lack of sample size of patients. Having a large database of information readily available can help provide these numbers.
Right now, mesothelioma does not have a registry of any kind, lagging behind other diseases and conditions.
The Mary Jo Lawyer-Spano National Mesothelioma Patient Registry Act of 2015, the full text of which can be read here, seeks to:
- Establish priorities for successful outcomes
- Develop and revise standards of care and treatment best practices for patients with mesothelioma
- Share evidence-based information between physicians across the country
- Implement benchmarks to improve care in mesothelioma clinics
- Identify centers that provide the most beneficial care to patients
The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation), the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to eradicating mesothelioma, has been at the forefront of this endeavor and has set-up an action alert through which anyone can contact their Congressional representative to request support of the bill.
In fact, according to the Meso Foundation, this bill came about as the result of its Advocacy Day in March of 2015, when one of its advocates, Meg Meccariello, met with her member of Congress, John Katko. Ms. Meccariello’s family has been greatly affected by mesothelioma. Aside from herself being a patient, she has lost her sister, Mary Jo Lawyer-Spano, and her father Charles Lawyer, to this disease. Another sister of Ms. Meccariello’s is currently also battling the disease.
The benefits of this registry would be outstanding. Please join me in contacting your Congressional Representative and asking them to co-sponsor this bill. If they already support it, thank them and let them know that you are grateful. Let’s make a difference together and continue to believe in a cure!
Go to the Action Center page at curemeso.org to send a letter.
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
Free Mesothelioma Patient & Treatment Guide
We’d like to offer you our in-depth guide, “A Patient’s Guide to Mesothelioma,” absolutely free of charge.
It contains a wealth of information and resources to help you better understand the condition, choose (and afford) appropriate treatment, and exercise your legal right to compensation.
Download Now