Dear Friend,

Mesothelioma is a stealthy enemy. It lurks unseen for decades, then suddenly springs a deadly ambush. For me, the ambush began with vague symptoms I initially chalked up to the flu. I was in my early fifties, in excellent health. My husband and I regularly hiked and biked the recreational trails near our home, and I was an avid swimmer and freediver. I had no known association with asbestos that might have linked my symptoms to asbestos-related cancer.  

When the symptoms worsened and I became overtly short of breath, my primary physician suspected walking pneumonia. We were both startled when x-rays revealed not an infection, but a massive amount of fluid on my left lung. True terror set in when a biopsy came back as positive for malignant mesothelioma. As a registered nurse with nearly 30 years of experience, I knew that the diagnosis was considered a death sentence. The thoracic surgeon confirmed this when he advised me to “go home and get my affairs in order.” Unable to fully digest the news, my husband and I began a frantic search for information that might provide some hope.

Like most people confronted with a diagnosis of meso, I was stunned by the bleak prognosis and lack of definitive treatment. Over and over I heard the dismal phrases “life-ending malignancy” and “4 to 12 months prognosis.” Only when I happened upon the Meso Foundation website did I feel the first small glimmer of hope. Here were people who understood, and better yet, were trying to help. They offered the possibility of surviving instead of the usual assumption that death was a certainty.

I located a handful of physicians at national medical centers that specialized in treating meso. Even with a healthcare background, it was hard for me to make a decision – the treatment choices all seemed so dreadful, and there were no guarantees of success. Weighing the limited options was agonizing. What if I underwent extensive surgery or heavy-duty chemotherapy only to spend the last few months of my life in pain? Was it better to do nothing? All the while I felt time ticking away, and dread that my tumor would grow. There was nothing to do but plunge in and hope for the best.

On June 26, 2002, I underwent an extrapleuralpneumonectomy (EPP). My left lung and pleurae, part of my pericardium, the left half of my diaphragm, and several ribs were removed. The missing diaphragm and pericardium were replaced with Gortex grafts, and my thoracic cavity was washed intra-operatively with heated Cisplatin. I then had six cycles of chemotherapy followed by extensive radiation to my left chest cavity to try to kill any remaining cancer cells.  

I was fortunate not to suffer any major complications from the EPP surgery. But still, recovery was difficult. The after-effects of the surgery, chemo, and radiation included chronic pain, scoliosis, and loss of stamina. Controlling the pain was very difficult. The biggest surprise came when I tried to swim: I sank like a stone instead! Turns out, you need two lungs to float. Fortunately, my granddaughter now lends me her “noodle” when we go to the pool. 

And then, there was the matter of trying to figure out how in the heck I had been exposed. Shockingly, I discovered that asbestos is thoroughly dispersed throughout our environment. There had been multiple unnoticed instances of likely contact: my home, my school, the hospitals in which I worked, my first husband’s work as a drywall contractor, even the blow dryers I had used on my hair every morning.

But here I am, six years later, despite the gloomy prognosis. In those six years, I’ve met some truly amazing people. I’ve mourned the passing of many of them, but I’ve also seen patients benefiting from new treatment protocols and living longer. That’s a miracle to me, and a glimpse of what can be accomplished. If meso research continues to receive the funding it deserves, the meso “death sentence” can become a thing of the past. 

I now devote my energy towards this goal, and I know that the Meso Foundation and its dedicated staff and volunteers are working hard to make it a reality also. The Foundation’s full-time nurse practitioner serves as a medical liaison to the meso community. She offers vital medical information, referrals to the physicians who specialize in meso, and a much needed shoulder to lean on. The Foundation has awarded over $5 million dollars in research around the globe, and this research is driving the search for a cure forward. The Foundation’s annual Symposium gathers top international meso experts and patients and family members together, providing education on the disease, the promising research, and the newest available treatment options. And through its Symposium and online discussion forums, the Meso Foundation has connected me to a community of other patients and their families. For me, and for so many others, this has become a lifeline. Through the strength and caring of our community, we refuse to let each other accept that our only choice is to get our affairs in order and prepare to die.

The radical treatment I underwent was part of a research protocol that had just been pioneered over the prior few years. It was an important advance in treatment, but not a cure. My meso has since returned, and I am hoping for another scientific advance that will once again extend my life. For the thousands of people who are diagnosed each year with meso, the many more like me who are currently battling it, and the countless more yet to come, research to develop effective treatments is our only hope. We are counting on the promise research offers with our very lives!

This is why I am writing to you today. For seven years, the Meso Foundation has been driving forward the search for a cure. Each year it solicits detailed proposals from meso researchers across the globe, carefully evaluates and ranks them through scientific peer-review, and then funds the ones that are most promising. This year, the Foundation has received 59 research grant proposals! This is a dramatic jump from previous years, and music to my ears. Just a few years ago the field of meso research was made up of only a handful of researchers. But today, 59 scientists from around the world are pursuing mesothelioma projects that are ready to take the next step toward delivering life-saving results!

We need to raise $1.5 million in order to enable the top 15 of these projects to go forward. Neglecting to fund even one of them could mean missing the key to a cure. I know how concerning the current economy is to all of us, but your help is critical. Please join me today in supporting this life-saving research with your tax-deductible gift.

I believe that a cure is out there, just waiting to be found. And I believe that together, we can make that cure possible!

Yours in the fight,

June Breit