It is a cancer of the cells that are present in mesothelium, a lining which protects body’s internal organ, such as lungs, stomach and the heart. The damage in the lining is caused by asbestos which inflammates the cells of the membrane. The cells divide abnormally, thereby damaging the other surrounding cells. The treatments offered nowadays can only comfort the patients to a certain extent but do not guarantee long life. The cancer rarely goes away permanently.
Today, health and safety laws in many countries restrict the uses of cancer-causing materials in the mining and manufacturing industries. Apart from that, workers are required to wear protective clothing while working with asbestos. The following is an account of how my best friend, a popular musician from Colorado, finally succumbed to the fatal disease.
Jeromes Story and Battle against Mesothelioma:
An amiable and a warm-hearted person by nature, Jerome was always looked upon approvingly by people who came across him. Throughout the course of his life, which sadly did not last very long, he had many admirers and won many fans. What made him so special for people around him was not his incomparable talent and brilliance but his frank honesty and forthrightness. It is disheartening to note that such a noble life as his had to end so soon in so painful a process.
He was 24, when we decided to come together and work professionally as a musical band. We had lots of creative ideas and very little experience but we decided to push our lucks to the fullest. Fame and popularity came soon enough. Jerome’s openness was never a hindrance. He was a happy person by nature and complained little and this contributed the most to the success of our band, which managed to stay in the limelight for over 20 years.
Soon after our musical breakthrough, he had got married and had two daughters, Mary and Judith. To any person who would see them together, they looked like one happy family and in reality, I knew that they were. He was an amazing father and a trustworthy friend to his daughters who idolized him and made great audiences whenever we practiced our songs together.
However, it soon became clear that this was not to last forever. He was 47 when things took a nasty bit of turn. I had grown worried about his health over the months, for he often look fatigued and his complexion became wan. Initially, this was not an issue, but whenever we rehearsed or performed, he would often feel out of breath. A time came when he could perform live no longer. This was not the end of the story, however. Bouts of coughing would sometimes overtake him which gave cause for anxiety to his family. He remained adamant that it was nothing serious and his cheerfulness and uncomplaining attitude often convinced them.
He was unable to cover it up for much longer. He had started to feel a nagging pain in his chest while the uncontrollable fits of cough did not alleviate. His voice grew hoarse, quite unlike the magical voice, his fans loved. No one could deny that even he had started to worry over a little. The final straw came when he started to spit blood in his coughs. A doctor was called for and from then onwards, everything turned upside down.
Pleural Mesothelioma:
He was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, which was found to be a rare type of cancer of the cells in the protective lining of the internal organs of the body. The reason found to be was exposure to asbestos. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products.
At first, everyone was at a loss to understand how Jerome could have been exposed to asbestos but every doubt was put to rest when he admitted to having worked as a lager’s mate at a power station in the early stages of his life, when his talents were not so recognized and well-known. In the course of his employment he was required to mix quantities of powdered asbestos with water to form an asbestos paste, which would then be applied by him to insulate pipe work.
The asbestos was supplied in powder form in large paper bags which were slit open with a knife, poured into a bucket and mixed into paste either using a mixer or by hand. This process produced clouds asbestos dust in the air and was repeated throughout the day.
It was researched and reported that the industry, quite knowingly, used cement products that contained large traces of asbestos fibres. The doctor said that he had developed a pleural effusion, which meant that his lungs were surrounded by fluid. The stage of mesothelioma was declared to be advanced, which meant that the cancer had already spread from his lungs to other parts of the body.
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It was a sad blow to his family and even more so, for me. It was hard for me to come to terms with his transformed state, which was declining steadily. The doctor had recommended chemotherapy, radiation and surgery but chances of his recovering seemed dim. Meanwhile, his family filed a lawsuit against the company Jerome worked for.
The wrong was exposure to mesothelioma-causing asbestos. As Jerome struggled for his life, lawyers fought his case in trial. Eventually, Jerome lost his battle with the disease and was laid to rest, 11 months after the diagnosis. The jury, however, awarded his family a verdict of $ 13 million and commanded the defendant officials to switch to non-asbestos products and observe health and safety laws. |
