Stories from Survivors – Page 2
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Stories from SurvivorsJoey Barna was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 2018. He believes the disease was a result of his decade-long asbestos exposure during his career in the HVAC industry as well as other jobs that may have exposed him to asbestos.
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Stories from Survivors
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survivor Builds Legacy in Puerto Rico
In 2016, doctors diagnosed Epifanio Figueroa with peritoneal mesothelioma. He says nutrition and exercise are more important to him now than ever. -
Stories from Survivors
Mesothelioma Survivor Shares Diagnosis and Treatment Journey
Six years after his pleural mesothelioma diagnosis, 61-year-old Joey Barna of Massachusetts tells The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com that he feels great. But Joey… -
Stories from Survivors
25 Years Post Diagnosis: Survival and Survivor’s Guilt
In 1999 Tammy Frank was diagnosed with stage 3 peritoneal mesothelioma. She was told she only had 6 months to live. Now 25 years… -
Stories from Survivors
25-Year Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survivor Discusses Her Recovery
After 25 years with peritoneal mesothelioma, Tammy is now healthy. She also had to battle addiction to pain medication after her surgery. “Opiates can really ruin your life,” Tammy said. “I became addicted to pain medication for about 12 years. Today I’m now 15 years pain medicine-free.” -
Stories from Survivors
Mesothelioma Survivor Stays Active at 84 Years Old
Susan is a 12-year survivor of peritoneal mesothelioma. She was diagnosed at the age of 72, which made many doctors question if she could endure the aggressive surgery needed. Today she's enjoying good health at the age of 84 after undergoing cytoreductive and HIPEC surgeries. Susan says her new puppy is keeping her active. -
Stories from Survivors
Mesothelioma Survivor Discusses Her Asbestos Exposure
12-year peritoneal mesothelioma survivor Susan Dickman says she was likely exposed to asbestos through secondary exposure from her father. “He would come home from work with the jumpsuit on,” Susan shares. “I remember him parking in the garage and my sister and I running up to hug him. He would pick us up with the jumpsuit on. Of course it had asbestos on it.” -
Stories from Survivors
Mesothelioma Survivor Talks Asbestos Awareness and Advice
Epifanio Figueroa is an 8-year peritoneal mesothelioma survivor who wasn't aware of the disease until he was diagnosed in 2016. “In my day when I was a young kid, they didn’t tell us that asbestos was bad for you,” Epifanio recalled. He believes limited information on mesothelioma may pose a risk. -
Stories from Survivors
Mesothelioma Survivor Enjoys Good Health 12 Years After Surgery
After conducting many interviews with doctors, Susan made the decision to go with surgical oncologist Dr. Edward Levine after being diagnosed with stage 4 peritoneal mesothelioma. “We chose a doctor who had done more of these surgeries than anybody else. Numbers count for any surgery,” Susan shared. -
Stories from Survivors
Mesothelioma Survivor Discusses Risks and Asbestos Abatement
Raeleen Minchuk Prokopetz was only 36 years old when she was diagnosed with mesothelioma. 10 years after her surgery Raeleen is speaking out about the importance of proper asbestos abatement. Her son now works in asbestos abatement, “He’s 21 years old and working with asbestos,” Raeleen said. “His risk of exposure scares me.”