What Is Mesothelioma and Surviving With It Long Term With Heather Von St. James

Episode • Sep 22, 2020 • 32m

We have Heather Von St. James joining us today on the WE Have Cancer Podcast to explain what is Mesothelioma and her unique path through the disease to the advocacy she does now as a survivor. Heather shares her story about how she first realized something was wrong after giving birth to her daughter through to her Mesothelioma prognosis, to finding the right Mesothelioma doctors and treatment.

WE Have Cancer podcast intro (0:00)
Passing of former guest Pat Beauregard (0:36)
Introduction of guest Heather Von St. James (1:46)
Raising a newborn as a family through Mesothelioma treatment (3:03)
What is Mesothelioma? (6:43)
The realization of something being wrong (8:08)
The diagnosis (10:15)
Finding the cause (10:49)
Mesothelioma prognosis (12:09)
Tattoos as a momento (13:17)
Mesothelioma treatment options and choosing the right Mesothelioma doctors (14:35)
Fighting back against Mesothelioma with surgery and chemotherapy (16:36)
Heather’s current health and residual effects (18:01)
The day-to-day impact of living after Mesothelioma treatment (18:49)
Advocacy after cancer (19:42)
How others react to Heather’s story (21:33)
How the right attitude helped carry Heather through (22:36)
Mesothelioma Awareness Day and how to support (26:01)
WE Have Cancer Podcast outro (30:06)

About Mesothelioma

What is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer commonly caused by asbestos. It often affects the tissues around the lungs, heart, abdomen, and testicles.
What’s a typical Mesothelioma prognosis?
Only your doctor can give you a mesothelioma diagnosis and prognosis. Some versions are treatable while others aren’t. As Heather shares in this episode, not every Mesothelioma prognosis is going to be the same or even the end of the story.
What are the most common Mesothelioma symptoms?
While signs and symptoms can be different for everyone, chest pain, painful coughing, shortness of breath, and unexplained weight loss are possible signs.
Mesothelioma treatment?
Not all forms of Mesothelioma are treatable. Those that are depend on several other factors, like the patient’s health, the cancer’s stage, and its location. However, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are the most common forms of treatment for Mesothelioma.