Survivor Praises Family and Friends Following Her Recovery
Stories from Survivors
Written by Travis Rodgers | Edited By Amy Edel
Carla Fasolo was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2021. Today, she says her family, friends and especially her husband positively impacted her recovery.
“It wasn’t just family,” Carla recalls. “It was friends. They would come and talk to me, encourage me and cook for me. I had so many people be there just to help and support me.”
She shares with us how much people cared means to her. Carla says it was touching seeing what each person brought to her support team.
“My daughter was concerned,” Carla reflects. “She’s a doctor, and she had a lot of questions and concerns.”
While Carla’s friends and family played a vital role during her recovery, she says her husband, Anthony, was the person she relied on the most during that time. She says the ordeal changed their relationship for the better as she leaned on Anthony while feeling weak from her mesothelioma treatments.
Deepening Her Connection With Her Husband
Carla says Anthony has been with her throughout her mesothelioma journey. It began with a nagging pain in her back that kept getting worse.
The pain eventually led her to the hospital. A CT scan and a biopsy resulted in a mesothelioma diagnosis. Doctors found a large tumor on the right side of her chest.
Chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments caused fatigue. However, Carla’s treatments made a difference. Her tumor shrank enough that she was able to skip undergoing surgery.
“It was hard for everybody,” Carla recounts. “Anthony was amazing. He ended up doing everything. He did the housework. He cooked. He did the dishes. He did the laundry. He made the bed. I mean, he did everything.”
Carla shares that while she knew Anthony is amazing, the way he supported her was truly moving. She says he was right there for everything she needed.
“I know he loves me, but it was amazing,” Carla says. “His mother would be so proud of him to know that he was that good. I never realized that my husband would be so taken with taking care of me. I never expected that from him. He’s a good man. Don’t get me wrong. But I didn’t think he would take over the way he did and support me the way he did.”
Carla adds, “He’s an awesome guy. I think we’re a lot closer, and we’ve always been close. But for some reason, it’s almost like he anticipates; he knows if something isn’t right with me. He’s very intuitive about that.”
Advice for Mesothelioma Caregivers
Anthony’s unwavering support as his wife’s main caregiver allowed her to focus solely on healing. “You would have thought he had a background in housekeeping or health care,” she says.
When asked what advice she’d share with other spouses or loved ones who find themselves in the position of becoming a mesothelioma caregiver, Carla says positivity is the key. She says Anthony’s positivity made a tremendous positive impact for her.
“You need to give them encouragement and positive thinking. Anthony is a very pro-positive person,” she shares. “He’ll tell you if you think negatively, that’s what happens. You’ve got to move forward and do the best you can.”
Carla says Anthony’s positive energy helped motivate her. She says it was just what she needed.
“He’s always encouraging me to move around a little bit more. Get up and do this. Let’s go here. That’s what you need to do,” she shares. “Be there, encourage them and tell them things are okay.”
Today, Carla is enjoying her life after recovery. She’s staying busy, hitting the road with Anthony as much as possible.
“We’ve traveled across the country quite a bit. Put on about 8,000 miles in 14 days,” she says. “We saw so many beautiful things. So many different animals and everything.”
They have big plans for more travels. They’re planning to get another small camper for their adventures.
“We’ve been to 46 states, some a little bit more than others. We plan to take another trip across the country and maybe go to a few more places we haven’t been to,” Carla shares.
