Mesothelioma is not only devastating to those diagnosed with the deadly illness, but also for family and friends of victims. Everyone involved suffers, and that suffering could have been prevented, had it not been for the industry’s complete disregard for the safety of workers, consumers and families.
Since her diagnosis, victim has been traveling to Boston for treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which has more to offer than her local hospital. Each treatment session takes a long time. She was recently scheduled for surgery, followed by a three-week recovery period. Her family is not only dealing with the illness, but she is not able to work as a chef at this time, so it is financially hurting as well, coupled with the cost of travel.
On a positive note, her cancer was diagnosed very early in its development, and her relatively young age, and otherwise being in good health, is helping with her prognosis. Doctors also report the cancer has not spread to other parts of her body as of this time, which is often the case.
Mesothelioma is mostly associated with a disease affecting older patients. However, as our Boston mesothelioma attorneys can explain, it is not that asbestos can’t cause mesothelioma in younger patients, but that it has more to do with the period of time it takes for the deadly asbestos fibers to metastasize into mesothelioma. Normally, when a victim inhales asbestos fibers, they take between 20 and 50 years to metastasize into malignant mesothelioma. This normally involves workers who inhale asbestos and develop a diagnosable disease by the time they are retired.
We have, however, seen cases where victims as young as their mid 20s were diagnosed with mesothelioma as a result of early childhood asbestos exposure. One common cause of early childhood exposure was from parents who would come home from work covered in asbestos dust and expose their family members.
While this victim’s family is not sure when she was exposed to asbestos, they believe it had to do with her father working as a masonry contractor while she was a child. Her father would come home covered in asbestos from work, and he would also take victim to work with him when she was a child, where he would let her help him mix batches of concrete, which contained asbestos fibers, as was common during that time.
To help support victim and her husband, who have suffered so much as a result of this deadly illness, community members have set local and online fundraising events to help raise money to donate to the family in hopes they can ease some of the suffering for the chef who is well-loved in the community.
If you or a loved one is diagnosed with mesothelioma in Boston, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Woburn City Council OKs demolition company petition, Wicked Local Woburn, March 13, 2015
More Blog Entries:
Bankrupt Asbestos Producer Sets Aside $375.5 Million for Future Mesothelioma Victims, Jan. 24, 2015, Boston Asbestos Injury Lawyer Blog