Rare Disease Day

I was recently contacted by Heather, asking me to spread awareness of Mesothelioma for Rare Diseases day (February 29th). Those of you who know me well know how obsessed I am with health and disease prevention, so I am glad to help spread awareness.

I don't know all that much about mesothelioma, hence the "rare disease day." It is caused by asbestos, which is scary because asbestos is still in products today. Crazy, right?! Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that affects the lining of the abdomen, lungs, and/or heart, depending on the type. It is caused only by exposure to asbestos, which is still legal in the United States and many other countries around the world. There are 3,000 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the United States alone each year, and 100% of these are preventable.

Heather's story is pretty cool-- she was diagnosed with mesothelioma at a young age and given 15 months to live. She received a ground breaking new surgery, where a section of her lung was removed. Scary! That was in 2005 and she is still here to tell her story.

Want to learn more about Heather or mesothelioma? Go here!!