Every year on September 26, we stop to observe Mesothelioma Awareness Day, a national event to support the mesothelioma community, patients who are battling rare cancer, and all of the work being done to cure the disease. This year is the 14th anniversary of the awareness day, which was established in 2004.
The mesothelioma incidence rates might be low, but the extreme harm this disease can cause is huge. September 26 is a day to educate yourself and others about mesothelioma, and creating dialogue around this disease is important with the new EPA regulations. Lawmakers and the public should be made aware of the impacts of regulatory and purchase decisions
Lorraine Kember is an inspirational public speaker. She is frequently invited to speak to groups of Palliative Care and Silver Chain volunteers and staff, Nursing volunteers and staff, and the general public about the care of the terminally ill and the importance of pain management and symptom control to quality of life.
Mesothelioma – The largest Man Made Epidemic, By Lorraine Kember
It is documented that Australia had the highest per capita use of asbestos in the world from the 1950s until the 1970s. As a tragic consequence, Australia now has the highest per capita incidence of mesothelioma in the world. With more than 500 Australians contracting mesothelioma per year, it is estimated that up to 18,000 Australians will die from this asbestos-related cancer by the year 2020.
Despite the growing awareness of the dangers of asbestos, there are many people who have not heard of Mesothelioma. This asbestos-related cancer is defined as a malignant spreading tumor of the mesothelium of the pleura, pericardium, or peritoneum, arising from the inhalation of asbestos fibers.
One of the most baffling and frightening known facts concerning Mesothelioma is that many years may pass, between inhalation of asbestos dust and its deadly legacy of disease; it is not uncommon for four decades or more to pass before symptoms due to asbestos dust inhalation become apparent.
In November 2004, I was an invited speaker at the Global Asbestos Congress 2004, held in Tokyo Japan. Over 800 participants from 40 countries around the world were in attendance. To be a part of such a large gathering of fellow humans, united in a quest to rid the poison of asbestos from our environments was an intensely moving experience. Having lost my husband to mesothelioma I know first hand the suffering this cruel disease places on its innocent victims.
There were many speakers and each told a tale, of pain, death, and heartache. We listened, we understood and we ached for the past, present, and future victims of the killer asbestos and its legacy of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. We listened and we were shocked and angered to learn that despite the growing awareness of the dangers of asbestos and the increasing incidence of asbestos-related disease, there remain some countries who are mining asbestos with little or no regard for their workers or people who will come into contact with asbestos products.
Asbestos disease Association members worldwide are working tirelessly and fighting almost insurmountable odds to ban asbestos from all countries of the world. It is a sobering and frightening fact, that even if we were successful in this quest, the legacy of asbestos-related diseases will continue for five decades.
Add your voice to the many who want this killer product erased from the environments of the world – Add your voice to the call that pleads for adequate compensation for victims and their families. Sign the online petition at Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization: http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) continues to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and the incurable and often deadly asbestos-related diseases. ADAO is quickly expanding and uniting veterans, fire-fighters, shipbuilders, teachers, and thousands of other innocent people around the world. Asbestos Awareness leads to education, prevention, new treatments, and ultimately a cure.
The article was written by Lorraine Kember, Author of Lean on Me Cancer through a Carer’s Eyes. Lorraine’s book is written from her experience of caring for her dying husband-an asbestos victim – in the hope of helping others. It includes insight and discussion on Anticipatory Grief, Understanding and identifying pain, Pain Management, and Symptom Control, Chemotherapy, Palliative Care, Quality of Life, and Dying at home. It also features excerpts and poems from her personal diary. Highly recommended by the Cancer Council. Lean on Me is not available in bookstores – For detailed information, Doctor’s recommendations, Reviews, Book Excerpts and Ordering Facility – visit her website http://www.cancerthroughacarerseyes.jkwh.com
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Lorraine_Kember/2216