Submitted by L. Millard on Mon, 27/06/2022 - 09:02
Ahead of Action Mesothelioma Day on 1 July, this month’s Cancer in Sight blog is written by Helen Bone, a 39-year-old mother of three and specialist nurse, who was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in August last year.
In the blog, Helen shares the shock of her diagnosis: “My family knew I was having hospital tests but nothing else. While I felt there was something not right, I didn’t in a million years think it would be mesothelioma because that generally affects men over 60. That’s not me, right?”
Reflecting on coming to terms with her diagnosis, Helen writes: “I think on the day the diagnosis happens, you have this big rush of emotion and everybody's upset and everybody's crying and everybody wants to be around you. And then as time goes on, when you learn to live with it, everybody kind of accepts that it's happening. But it's almost like they are waiting to catch you when you fall, which is comforting for me, but it mustn't be very nice for them.”
Helen acknowledges the “invaluable support” given by the national charity Mesothelioma UK and how she wants to raise awareness of mesothelioma: “While mesothelioma predominantly affects men over the age of 65 there’s more women being diagnosed. Asbestos is in many public buildings, including schools and hospitals, which are now in disrepair. I’ve spoken to teachers who have it, not just men in particular industries which is the perception most people have of mesothelioma. I want people to know that there is a shift and I want people to understand that this has happened to me – and I'm not a 65-year-old man.”
• Read the full Cancer in Sight blog by Helen Bone here.
• Read Helen Bone’s personal account, ‘It is what it is – a mesothelioma blog’ here: https://helenbone82.wixsite.com/itiswhatitis
