Mesothelioma Awareness Day

Most of you who read this blog are already aware that my sister-in-law, Sarah Songer-Smith has Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma. And the reason you are aware is because my family on both sides have posted it on their blogs. (See here and here and here and here.) If you are one of the few readers I have who is not part of my extended family, here is a blog my s-i-l Katie started for Sarah.

So.

Today is Mesothelioma Awareness Day.

And if you read that page you can see this is serious.

Sarah is 30 years old. If she was exposed to asbestos she must have been just a little girl. None of us knows when or how it could have happened. This is usually an old man's disease.

Why did it take me nearly five months to post about it? I have sat down time after time to write about this and drawn a blank every time. Apparently, I am a wuss. My brain veers sideways whenever I try to think about it.

In contrast, Sarah and her husband Shaun are tough as nails. They are in New York getting Sarah treatment because this cancer is rare enough that no one here knows how to treat it. That they are able to maintain their upbeat, "kick-mesothelioma's-butt"-attitude is a testament to their characters. Especially in the face of all the invasive and painful things Sarah has had to endure so far.


We're pulling for you, Sarah. Even the wussiest of us.