A Story of Faith and Hope of a Mesothelioma Caregiver

Jennifer Gelsick lives a quiet life in St. Marys, Pennsylvania with her husband, Michael, and their dog, Gus. She and her husband run their own business, and Jennifer has time to enjoy her hobbies including cooking, reading and taking long walks around their neighborhood with Gus. She also dedicates much of her time to her church. But over the last year, her father’s diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma upended Jennifer’s serene life and tested her faith.

Ultimately it was Jennifer’s faith, and her father’s strength, faith and positive attitude while battling asbestos cancer that helped her get through the year. Not only did she and her father survive the year, but Jennifer believes it was through a series of miracles that her father is now cancer free.

Like many people in the United States, Jennifer had heard of mesothelioma through television ads, but she didn’t have an understanding of the disease. She didn’t even realize it was a form of cancer. She usually left during the commercials to clean the dishes or grab a snack before settling back in front of the TV.

Now, Jennifer knows more than she ever wanted to know about the dangers of asbestos and the health issues that the widely used building material can cause many people. And Jennifer wants to educate as many people as possible about mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Jennifer will be offering readers of Mesothelioma Help the story of her family’s journey through months of treatment and recovery as her father battled mesothelioma. Specifically, Jennifer looks forward to sharing stories of faith and hope and helping others realize that there is life with mesothelioma, and there is life after mesothelioma.

Please join us in welcoming Jennifer to Mesothelioma Help as she tells her story as a caregiver and a daughter of a mesothelioma survivor.

Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.

Still Time to Make a Donation for Mesothelioma Research Through the American Cancer Society’s Rappelling Fundraiser

New York mesothelioma attorney Jessica Russell of Belluck & Fox, LLP took the plunge in September in the first-ever “Over the Edge” rappel for cancer event in Jersey City, New Jersey, to raise funds for mesothelioma research. Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the event, where participants rappelled nearly 500 feet down the side of a 34-story high-rise, raised over $271,000 for cancer research. The American Cancer Society has announced that this year’s event website is still active, and it is not too late to donate to the cause.

Although Russell, an attorney at Belluck & Fox, LLP who focuses on the firm’s asbestos and mesothelioma cases, was first alerted about the event as a joke from her husband who knew she was “dreadfully” afraid of heights, she took on the challenge after she thought of all of her clients “whose lives were cut short due to a disease that was completely avoidable.”

Pleural mesothelioma, a pulmonary cancer caused by past exposure to asbestos, is aggressive and requires equally aggressive treatments to combat the disease. Nearly 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease each year. Currently, there is no known cure for mesothelioma, but researchers continue to conduct studies and clinical trials to find a new, effective treatment.

Buoyed by this year’s success, the American Cancer Society is reaching out to this year’s rappellers to repeat their daredevil stunt next year. Using the teaser, “if you have friends who are jealous of you and want to participate next year (or if you want to do it again!), please encourage them to sign up,” the organizers hope to surpass this year’s fundraising efforts.

Once may have been enough for Russell. “While I do not see myself signing up to jump off of any more buildings any time soon, I did appreciate that this event was unique in that it was more of a personal challenge, which drove me to appreciate what we were all working toward,” said Russell.

See the initial article on Russell’s adventure.

Mesothelioma Advocates Invited to Attend the Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Products

DIA and the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) have announced the program for the US Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Products to be held Oct. 22-24 at the Capitol Hilton, Washington, D.C. With the motto, “Shaping the Future Now,” organizers invite all stakeholders – patients, patient organizations, researchers, drug and device companies, investors, thought leaders and government – to come together for three days to focus on rare diseases and orphan product research, development and access. In the United States, there are close to 7,000 rare or orphan diseases, including mesothelioma, thyroid cancer and cerebral palsy, affecting close to 30 million Americans.

The conference, organized in collaboration with FDA, NIH, EURORDIS, and the Duke Department of Pediatrics, will discuss the challenges facing orphan product development and access. In a press release announcing the program, Peter L. Saltonstall, President and CEO of NORD said, “This vital meeting will provide important information for everyone living with a rare disease or working in orphan product development.”

The conference will offer sessions focusing on three primary themes: research and regulation; risk tolerance for the rare disease patient; and special challenges in rare diseases. Topics include the current and emerging drug development environment, reenactment of the Prescription Drug and Medical Device User Fee Act, and an update on NIH’s new National Center Advancing Translational Science.

NORD is a non-profit organization that receives no government funding and relies entirely on private donations. The organization offers vital services to the public through providing information about rare diseases, referrals to patient organizations, research grants and fellowships, advocacy for the rare-disease community, and Medication Assistance Programs that help needy patients obtain certain drugs they could not otherwise afford.

In the United States, an orphan disease status is assigned to a disease or disorder if it affects fewer than 200,000 Americans at any given time. Mesothelioma is diagnosed in close to 3,000 Americans each year, with just as many dying from the disease.

Mesothelioma representatives interested in attending the conference can register on DIA’s website.

Support Mesothelioma Research on National Mesothelioma Awareness Day

Today, Sept. 26, has been set aside as a day to raise awareness of the relatively unknown form of asbestos-related cancer: mesothelioma. National Mesothelioma Awareness Day, designated as such by Congress, is a day to not only raise the public’s awareness of the deadly disease, but to also encourage all Americans to help raise funds to combat the disease.

Cancer research is expensive and time-consuming, and for research related to a rare disease, such as mesothelioma, the costs can be even higher. Researchers rely on funding from public and private sources to run their clinical trials and to ensure continuous funding throughout the project.

NYU Cancer Institute Dedicated to Defeating Cancer

The NYU Cancer Institute of the NYU Langone Medical Center is one of many cancer centers dedicated to “defeating cancer” and to bringing an end to the suffering it causes. In addition to offering comprehensive cancer care, the Institute offers innovative treatments for mesothelioma and lung cancer patients.

Renowned mesothelioma expert Dr. Harvey Pass, Chief division of Thoracic Surgery NYU Langone Medical Center and Chief Thoracic Oncology NYU Cancer Center, leads the team of thoracic surgeons. Services offered to mesothelioma patients include clinical trials, minimally invasive surgery, state-of-the-art chemotherapy regimens, targeted radiation therapy and radiofrequency ablation and photodynamic therapy.

The NYU Cancer Institute of the NYU Langone Medical Center depends on private donations to further its research efforts, enhance clinical services, and expand its community programs to help more people overcome cancer. To help NYU Langone in its fight against mesothelioma visit the website today.

http://cancer.med.nyu.edu/how-you-can-help

You can also “like” MesotheliomaHelp.org on its Facebook page. For every “like” it receives, Belluck & Fox, a nationally recognized law firm that represents individuals with asbestos and mesothelioma claims, will donate $1 to the NYU Langone Medical Center.

Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation

According to its website, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is a national non-profit dedicated to ending the suffering caused by mesothelioma by funding mesothelioma research, by providing education and support for patients and their families, and by advocating for federal funding of mesothelioma research.

Each year the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation awards grants to the “best and most promising” mesothelioma research projects. The Foundation instituted its grant funding program in 2000 and has since awarded over $7.6 million to critical research, encouraging scientists to devote their life-work to this rare, elusive cancer.

To support the efforts of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation see its Donate Now link.

The above options are suggestions, but there are a vast number of other options available for providing financial support to mesothelioma research. Select the one that calls to you and your family and help make a difference in mesothelioma research.

Quick Facts About Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a malignant cancer of the lining of the lung and abdomen closely associated with inhaling microscopic asbestos dust.
Nearly 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year.
About 2,500 to 3,000 Americans die each year of mesothelioma and thousands more die of lung cancer related to asbestos.
The symptoms of the disease can take anywhere from 15-50 years to develop after exposure.
Mesothelioma is entirely preventable, but cannot be cured.

Know more about mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.

National Mesothelioma Awareness Day is September 26

September 26 has been set aside by Congress as a day to raise the public’s awareness of mesothelioma and to encourage all Americans to help raise funds to combat the deadly disease. Mesothelioma is a malignant cancer of the lining of the lung and abdomen closely associated with inhaling microscopic asbestos dust. About 3,000 Americans die each year of mesothelioma and thousands more die of lung cancer related to asbestos.

Recently, scientists and researchers have made great strides in discovering how genetics play into potential mesothelioma therapies, yet bringing a cure to patients is still years away. The research is expensive, and researchers and universities rely on public donations to support projects.

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, a national organization dedicated to eradicating mesothelioma and the suffering it causes by funding the highest quality mesothelioma research, advocates for mesothelioma patients and conducts, organizes and coordinates fundraising events across the country. The Foundation’s volunteers are critical for organizing Awareness Day events.

Congress recognizes the dangers of asbestos and the need for new, effective treatments for mesothelioma. In 2010, the National Mesothelioma Awareness Day declaration was developed to address the medical needs of mesothelioma patients.

Following is an excerpt from the Congressional Declaration:

Whereas mesothelioma is a terminal, asbestos-related cancer that affects the linings of the lungs, abdomen, heart, or testicles;
Whereas workers exposed on a daily basis over a long period of time are most at risk, but even short-term exposures can cause the disease and an exposure to asbestos for as little as one month can result in mesothelioma 20-50 years later;
Whereas the National Institutes of Health reported to Congress in 2006 that mesothelioma is a difficult disease to detect, diagnose, and treat;
Whereas the National Cancer Institute recognizes a clear need for new agents to improve the outlook for patients with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases;
Whereas for decades, the need to develop treatments for mesothelioma was overlooked and today, even the best available treatments usually have only a very limited effect and the expected survival time of those diagnosed with the disease is between 8 and 14 months…

Therefore, be it resolved, that the House of Representatives– (1) supports the goals and ideals of Mesothelioma Awareness Day; and (2) urges the President to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States, Federal departments and agencies, States, localities, organizations, and media to annually observe a National Mesothelioma Awareness day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is sponsoring the Knowledge is Hope conference to be held in New York City on September 28 to mark National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. For more information on National Mesothelioma Awareness Day and the conference see www.curemeso.org.

Category: Family