The only known cause for mesothelioma is asbestos and the disease has a latency period of up to 50 years. Mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the lining of the body cavities, the mesothelium.
There are three major types of mesothelioma: pleural (lung cavity), peritoneal (abdominal cavity) and pericardial (heart cavity).Of the three, the most commonly diagnosed is pleural mesothelioma because the asbestos dust or fibers were inhaled and became lodged in the lungs. In the other forms, the fibers had to travel past the lungs and into other body areas before developing the cancer.
The companies that mines asbestos and made products from the fibers knew very well that the dust created by processing the substance could cause lung disease. Going as far back as ancient Greece scientists knew that people who worked in asbestos mines and those who used the products made from it had a notable chance of experiencing lung diseases. Even with all this knowledge, the companies that processed asbestos in the early 20th century kept the facts from their employees and allowed them to be exposed to the danger.
People who were exposed to asbestos in their early years develop symptoms for the disease as they are settling into their retirement years. At a time when they should be free of care for major illness and be enjoying their lives, people are finding out they have an incurable disease and may have endangered the lives of their loved ones. People who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are within their rights to sue the companies responsible for exposing them to the risk and the relatives of the deceased can file on their behalf. Cecile Waters lost her daughter and granddaughter to peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma within a year.
Life Before Mesothelioma
After I lost my husband to a car accident I sold our family home and moved in with my daughter and her family. I was not in the greatest of shape and they did a lot to take care of me. My daughter (Constance) had married less than three years before and had a newborn little girl named Maribelle when I moved in. They had recently moved into their home, an old fixer-upper, because my son in law is a home remodeler and wanted to use his own home as a showcase for his talent.
There seemed to always be some repair or remodel going on in the house. He would often take down entire walls or tear up the floorboards in the house’s foundation. It was always a joy to see what a change could be made in a house that age. He brought it up to inspection standard for the electrical and plumbing as well as removing the old insulation and replacing it with new fiberglass. What was once a drafty old house became a beautiful home that was always full of life.
At one point I had begun talking to my daughter about the possibility of my moving out to give their growing family a little more space. Constance would have none of it. She said that my place was with her family. As my only child she felt that she was the one who had to make sure I was cared for and she actually enjoyed having me around. A few months after this discussion, Constance’s husband was killed in a boating accident. Maribelle was just four years old.
Through mourning and living through tragedy we solidified our bond and resolved to remain together and care for one another come what may. Various health issues and personal problems cropped up over the next 20 years but we remained in the house together. It wasn’t until Maribelle graduated from college that we had to consider breaking up our little group. She was planning to move in with her fiancé and we were behind her 100%.
After the wedding and a couple years after my first great grandchild’s arrival, Maribelle began having various minor health problems. She’d developed a heavy cough that caused chest pain and lost more weight than I thought she should after the baby. The doctors could not find much wrong with her but her symptoms continued to worsen. After a year or so of doctor visits, evaluations and tests we were ready to give up hope of finding out what was wrong with her.
Diagnosis of Mesothelioma
Nothing could have prepared us for the news we got following Maribelle’s chest x-rays. For a woman barely reaching her 30’s, Maribelle had an unusual condition – fluid building up in the cavity around her lungs. She had never been a smoker and was always in good health until then. The doctors took a sample of the fluid and found that she had evidence of pleural mesothelioma.
A few more tests confirmed the diagnosis. Her prognosis was that she could live about a year with aggressive treatment, less if she chose to forgo treatment and take measures to reduce the pain and suffering the disease caused. Due to her diagnosis and the fact that we all lived in the house together for so long, it was suggested that Constance and I be tested also.
My tests came up clear of mesothelioma, but Constance was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma and given a shorter prognosis than her daughter. It seemed that even though she had no symptoms, she had a widespread area that was covered in tumors. That area went beyond the mesothelium and had attacked her internal organs. Her cancer was as inoperable as her daughter’s.
Exposure to Asbestos
It turns out that we were all exposed to asbestos during the remodeling Constance’s husband did on our home. Much of the house was insulated and fireproofed with asbestos, so when he knocked down walls and pulled up the floors he kicked the dust into the air and we all breathed it in.
The previous owners of the house were unaware of the asbestos and there was no mention of its use in any of the documents we had in our possession. Because no one had ever worked in or around the stuff, we knew this could be our only point of exposure.
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