Friday, July 20, 2012

Guest Post: Heather Von St James

I was contacted by Heather.  She said she'd like to share her story on her blog.  She has experienced a different type of cancer, but I think the threads of fear, courage and triumph are resonant in all of our stories.


FIGHTING MESOTHELIONA WTIH A "VILLAGE" OF SUPPORT
View Heather Lily 1.jpeg in slide show
In all the experiences I had gone through in my life, having my daughter was the most miraculous. From the time I found out I was pregnant, my life had gained new meaning. My pregnancy was stress-free and it wasn’t long before I welcomed Lily into the world via C-section on August 4, 2005. My “village”, which included my husband, our parents and our dear friends, came to wish our new family luck. To say our life was pure bliss was an understatement.

Although I loved staying home with Lily, I returned to work when she was just four weeks old. Obviously, I was nervous to leave her. I had no energy and spent my days feeling fatigued and breathless. I reassured myself that these feelings were attributed to the baby blues. Eventually, I decided to see the doctor and get a physical. I had no idea what I was about to hear.

On November 21, 2005, I was given my diagnosis – a diagnosis that would change my life forever. I had malignant pleural mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer in the lining of the lung that is caused by exposure to asbestos, something I was exposed to when I was a child nearly 30 years ago. I felt like I was entering a nightmare and leaving my joyous life with my 3-1/2 month old baby girl behind.

I was given 15 months to live unless I started treating the cancer immediately. It wasn’t just me I was thinking about either but my husband and daughter too. Together, we decided that I needed the best treatment possible. We reached out to our “village” and I knew at this very point that I would need them in ways I never thought possible.

Lily was cared for in South Dakota by my parents and my husband and I left for Boston. On February 2, 2006, I had an extrapleural pneumonectomy, which is a procedure that removes the affected lung and its surrounding tissues. Recovery from the surgery lasted 18 days and I stayed another two months before starting radiation and chemotherapy.

This was a frightening time in my life, but through it all, my “village” continued to grow out of love and support. We met other families during our stay in Boston that were battling the same experience. Meanwhile in South Dakota, my parents’ village was growing too. Lily was getting love from the community, including girls I had babysat when I was young.

I am happy to say that today I am cancer free. I fought the battle and won, but my experience was not as simple as that. I missed out on important milestones with my daughter, milestones that I had waited for during my nine months of pregnancy.

I couldn’t be more grateful to my “village” that stood by my family and me during this difficult time. It’s easy to take things for granted, but when you’re faced with something as horrific as cancer, you need your village to survive. I’m glad I didn’t give up my fight. Every moment with my daughter was worth it all.    

Heather Von St James is a 43-year-old wife and mother. Upon her diagnosis of mesothelioma, she vowed to be a source of hope for other patients who found themselves with the same diagnosis. Now, over 6 years later, her story has been helping people all over the globe. She continues her advocacy and awareness work by blogging, speaking and sharing her message of hope and healing with others. Check out her story at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog.

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