Mesothelioma Awareness Day

Hiya loves,

Today is the 10th Mesothelioma Awareness Day. I'm writing about it because a lady called Heather contacted me to help me raise awareness. I agreed because one of my ex-colleagues lost his father very suddenly to mesothelioma so I know how it destroys lives.

My name is Heather Von St. James and I am reaching out to you in hopes that you will help me with a cause that is very near and dear to my heart.

Eight years ago, I was diagnosed with mesothelioma; a rare and preventable cancer caused only by exposure to asbestos. I had just given birth to my daughter and I was given 15 months to live. After a life saving surgery that included the removal of my left lung, I have made it my life's mission to spread awareness about mesothelioma and the dangers of asbestos.

September 26th, 2014 marks the 10th anniversary of Mesothelioma Awareness Day, and has been the driving force behind the movement to bring more attention and funding to this cancer. There is no more innocent victim than a person with mesothelioma, they are sick as a direct result of a product that is NOT banned in the U.S. This disease has a life expectancy of just 18 months after diagnosis, and symptoms may not be evident until 20-35 years after initial exposure to asbestos. 

From Wiki: Mesothelioma (or, more precisely, malignant mesothelioma) is a rare form of cancer that develops from cells of the mesothelium, the protective lining that covers many of the internal organs of the body. Mesothelioma is most commonly caused by exposure to asbestos. The most common anatomical site for mesothelioma is the pleura (the outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it can also arise in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the pericardium (the sac that surrounds the heart),^[2] or the tunica vaginalis (a sac that surrounds the testis).

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked in jobs where they inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers, or were exposed to airborne asbestos dust and fibers in other ways. Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma.

I was hoping to get together with my friend to talk to him about his father's life and death but circumstances didn't allow. Perhaps if we do so at a later date I can do a follow up post with his story.

Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals^[1] which all have in common their thin fibrous crystals. They are commonly known by their colors, as "blue asbestos", "brown asbestos", "white asbestos", and so on. Asbestos mining began more than 4,000 years ago, but did not start large-scale until the end of the 19th century when manufacturers and builders used asbestos because of its desirable physical properties:^[1] sound absorption, average tensile strength, its resistance to fire, heat, electrical and chemical damage, and affordability. It was used in such applications as electrical insulation for hotplate wiring and in building insulation.

In the UK use of Chrysotile asbestos was banned at the end of 1999. Brown and blue asbestos was banned in the UK around 1985. Buildings built or renovated prior to these dates may contain asbestos materials. Due to the amount of time it takes for mesothelioma to make itself known it's likely that there are many victims who haven't yet been diagnosed.

You can read more about Heather's story here.

Thanks for reading. Has mesothelioma affected your family?

Leah xoxo

Depression Awareness month/Small accomplishments

Hiya lovelies!

October is Depression Awareness Month. I started to write a post about it a week or so ago and abandoned it because I lacked the words to articulate it sufficiently. Today I came across a post by the blogger Scrangie which says everything I wanted to say and then some. Please, if you know someone with depression and want to know more or have it yourself and lack the words to express yourself to others, go look -  Depression Awareness.

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After yesterday's post about feeling scared about my mental state because of Fibro fog, I'm pleased to say I feel better today. Today was looking like a crap day, but rather than letting myself become engulfed in it, I decided to try my best to turn it around. First, I did some yoga. I felt really tired when I started, but I decided to put all my anger about my health situation into it. I managed a really energetic workout where I kicked the effing crap out of Fibromyalgia metaphorically speaking. After that I felt pretty proud of myself and I got a lot of things done afterwards.

I managed to shave my legs, give myself a foot scrub and moisturise myself from top to toe today. These are things the average person may take for granted, but for me they're a special effort. It's unusual for me to find the energy for ONE of those tasks a week fortnight month, let alone three in a day. So there I was wrist deep in shaving foam in serious danger of cutting myself during a fit of the giggles. I knew that other disabled people would get the stupidity of the situation. It's almost as if I deserve a medal for thinking:

Whoo! I did yoga, did some personal care, packed away the spare quilts/pillows from my parents' visit, laundered the covers, cleaned some of the kitchen and bathroom, and cooked myself a healthy evening meal. Go me!

As ludicrous as it seems to feel accomplished for doing a few chores and making myself look and feel a lot less beastly than usual, I'm high-fiving myself. I'm no Felix Baumgartner, but I'll take my mercies small and when I can get them. 

Tomorrow is a new day. I'll take it as it comes. It's all we can do, isn't it?

Thanks for reading.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Hello lovelies!

I hope you're all having a great weekend.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. You may be seeing lots of pink products online, in blogs and in the shops. As well as raising money for breast cancer charities, it's really important to catch it early.

Please click through and have a look at the Breast Cancer Care awareness page if you need help in how to know what's normal and what's abnormal with your chesticles.

I'll fess up. I don't check my breasts half as regularly as I should. When I was 15 I had a lump in my breast that really hurt. I went to the doctors and it was a cyst, thankfully. I took some tablets and it dispersed but I had that sheer panic. All that taken into consideration I'm a TOTAL FOOL for not checking my breasts properly.

Your Man is a cheeky little app where dishy men remind you it's time to check your boobaloos. You can set a reminder of your choice or at random. I've picked a monthly reminder for about a week after my period. You can get in for Android phones or for iPhones and it's totally free.

Please bear in mind MEN can get breast cancer too, so while you're checking yourself out, inform the men in your lives too. There should be absolutely no stigma attached to men checking their chests, so please spread the word.

To be perfectly honest I wish there was more awareness of all cancers.

I lost my nan to gall bladder cancer which spread to her liver and in 18 months she was gone. Hugs to anyone who's been touched by cancer - those who survived, those who died and all of those affected.

x x x