At 36 years old with a 3 month old daughter, Heather Von St. James was diagnosed with Mesothelioma and given about 15 months to live. Now, 9 years, later, Heather is on a mission to education people about Mesothelioma and to deliver hope while celebrating every day she is alive. Listen to her amazing, inspiring story:

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I only gained 5 pounds during the course of myfastpregnancy.
I was growing a tumor at the same time I was growing a child.
It felt like a truck had parked on my chest and I couldn't take a full breath.
A CT scan showed a large mass on my left lung, which turned out to be Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos and typically has a 18-month life expectancy after diagnosis.
I can't die. Tell me how we can fix this!
I was exposed to asbestos before age 10 because my father was a construction worker who brought the dust home on his clothing.
OK, so I have this. Now what do we do about it?
There was never the crying out: "Why me, God, why me?!"
My daughter gave me the courage because I didn't want her raised without a Mom!
There was fear, and there were tears, but mostly there was determination!
You have to have a sense of humor. I named my tumor "Punxsutawney Phil" because my surgery was going to be on Groundhog Day.
You poke fun at things and it takes the fear away.
We celebrate the day of my surgery and call it "Lung Leavin' Day" because that's the day my lung left!
We've taken something that could be really bad, the removal of my lung due to cancer, and we've turned into a celebration of life and a night to conquer your fears.
Me: Do you ever look back and say "I wish this had never happened to me?" Heather: (without hesitation) No!
If I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing because it has made me who I am today!
I can roll over and give up, or I can make something of every day and enjoy it.
You look for the bright spots wherever you can find them!

Mentioned in this show:

Heather Von St. James

Blog: mesothelioma.com/heather
Twitter: @HeatherVSJ
Instagram: @HeatherVSJ
Facebook: HeatherVonStJames
International Asbestos Awareness Conference
mesothelioma.com
curemeso.org


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