Favorite teacher...

I found this story from http://www.allaboutmalignantmesothelioma.com/mesothelioma-stories-teacher.htm, it talks about a man who worked really hard to reach his goal but encountered a giant roadblock..Mesothelioma.
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This story is about a man who always wanted to teach. To obtain money for college, he worked as a laborer in an insulation plant. This insulation was produced from vermiculite. Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral that looks similar to mica. It is a generally safe material, but some strains of vermiculite are contaminated with asbestos.

The vermiculite mined in Libby, Montana contains the highly lethal type of asbestos, called tremolite. At the insulation processing plant in Spokane, where this man labored for 23 months hauling tons of vermiculite ore from the railcars to the ovens, dust was constantly in the air. This dust was filled with asbestos laden vermiculite. Although the dangers of asbestos were known at this time, no one suggested that the employees of this plant wear respirators or other devices to reduce the dust inhalation.

Many decades later, this active teacher of middle school children was well liked and was an inspiration for many kids. He felt his health was excellent and spent a lot of time outdoors bicycling and playing basketball. In 1994, 36 years after working with the asbestos contaminated mineral, he started to feel swelling in his stomach area and a shortness of breath.

In January 1995, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. He immediately had to start a process where he spent three days a week in chemotherapy. He started losing weight and was constantly vomiting. He had to give up his teaching at the Portland schools where he'd spent 28 years inspiring his students. By September 1995 he was admitted to the hospital and was on pain relievers all day. He died in early November 1995. Many of his seventh and eighth grade students could not understand his sudden passing and could not even spell the word �mesothelioma.� W. R. Grace, who owned the vermiculite plant, settled a wrongful death suit with this "favorite teacher." The details of the settlement were not released.

His brother also worked in the vermiculite plant , but worked outside, not inside where the dust was heaviest. So far his lungs appear clear. He and the rest of his family will have the asbestos cloud hanging over their heads for a long time." - from allaboutmalignantmesothelioma

Mesothelioma - A Deadly Trend

What is Mesothelioma? Well, mesothelioma was discovered not too long ago to be a form of cancer that was mainly caused by asbestos. Dating back to ancient rome, asbestos was used as a thermal insulator and fabric alternative. Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral with long, thin fibrous crystals. Asbestos comes from a greek word that means indistinguishable. *probably because of its ability to withstand heat*
Most of the victims of Mesothelioma are people who have worked near exposed asbestos. Some common examples are contruction workers, contractors, demolitionists, painters, and plumbers.
When one contracts Mesothelioma the symptoms generally do not show until 20 or more years later. But when the symptoms do show they can range from minor conditions such as shortness of breath, coughing up blood, chest pains, wheezing, strong coughs, to servere conditions such as blood clots in the veins, low blood sugar, and tumor growth that can collapse the lungs.
There is no doubt that Mesothelioma is a serious form of cancer that requires lots of patience and courage to live through. This is why we should learn to understand and support the victims of this terrible disease.