Hope
People have survived after years of first being diagnosed with mesothelioma. We have compiled links to stories from real people who have overcome the odds so that you may take hope from their experience.
If you have found any other survivor stories anywhere else please contact us, so we can add their link
| Survivors |
| Paul Kraus - In June 1997, Paul Kraus was diagnosed with mesothelioma and given only a few months to live. He and his family were stunned by the shocking diagnosis, but they were not ready to give up. They researched different therapies for this cancer and learned about various conventional, integrative and alternative treatments. From this knowledge, Mr. Kraus created his own path to heal his mesothelioma and ten years later, he is alive with a good quality of life. |
| Karen Marcum - Karen Marcum, 65, made her way from Texas to the University of Pennsylvania to wage battle against Mesothelioma. The deadly lung cancer, hard to detect and one of the most merciless, is primarily caused by exposure to asbestos or similar materials, although Marcum says she's not sure where it came from. Marcus was the 5th member of her family to be diagnosed with the deadly disease, which was discovered in both lungs. Treatment options were limited. She underwent chemotherapy while awaiting entry into a clinical trial utilizing a gene drug developed by Biogen Idec that utilizes a cold virus genetically altered to carry the gene for interferon beta, a natural human protein that marshals the immune system.Marcum spent four months in Philadelphia, where she had no side effects to the treatment, and in January of this year was told she will not require evaluation for another six months. She is alive and well. |
| Craig Kozicki - When Craig Kozicki was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma he knew that statistically, his prospects were grim. But his positive attitude and science background prompted him to question both his doctor's fatalistic prognosis and the relevance of dismal survival statistics to his own case. Craig Kozicki took responsibility for his own treatment, searched out the best tools he could find, and took on surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and out-of-state medical care with an upbeat approach. Six and a half years later, Craig is back to work and family activities, living with no evidence of disease, and eager to help others face mesothelioma with knowledge and a positive outlook. |
| Jodi Page - In 1999, Jodi Page was a young woman enjoying a life of newfound independence in Minneapolis. She had recently moved to the city from the small town in rural Minnesota where she grew up, and was working on a new life-new friends, new activities, and a new job. When test results suggested she had a malignant tumor on her left lung, she had so little experience with cancer she hardly knew what the words meant. Even her doctors were skeptical. Today, almost three years later, Jodi has successfully fought mesothelioma. Though she lost one of her lungs to the disease, she is about to celebrate her 30th birthday skydiving for the first time. |
| Sharon Johnson - Lightning struck the same family twice on July 12, 1999, the day doctors diagnosed 58 year-old clerical worker and housewife Sharon Johnson with peritoneal mesothelioma. Ten years earlier, Sharon's sister had been diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. In April of 1999, Sharon had begun to feel abdominal pain. Her family physician ordered a battery of tests, including a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis, ultrasound and pelvic sonography. These tests revealed moderate fluid accumulation in the abdomen called ascites. Sharon’s doctors assured her that it was irritable bowel syndrome or diverticulitis, nothing too serious. But Sharon’s abdominal pain worsened. |
| Kendra Ferreira - Kendra Ferreira is a fine artist living in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Though busy, life seemed to be going fairly smoothly for Kendra, her husband Paul and three boys: PJ (age 18), Christian (17), and Stefan (12). Kendra was teaching art classes, showing in galleries and exhibitions and was an active member of several local art associations. With her boys getting older, Kendra had found herself with more time, and prior to her diagnosis was investigating the possibility of having a studio/gallery of her own. |
| Stephen Jay Gould - Stephen Jay Gould was a paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and science historian. He was a regular writer for popular science, which is where most people know him from. He was called by some, "America's unofficial evolutionist lauareate," because of his promotion of the theory of evolution. Gould even voiced a version of himself on the popular television show, The Simpsons; The Simpsons also paid tribute to him after his death with a message in the beginning credits, "Dedicated to the memory of Stephen Jay Gould." In July of 1982, Gould was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. After he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, he wrote an article for Discover Magazine entitled, "The Median Isn't the Message." In it he argued that statistics such as median survival rate are just useful abstractions, not destiny. Gould survived another 20 years and, although he succumbed to another form of cancer, he survived Mesothelioma and the grim diagnosis his doctors gave him some 20 years earlier. |
| Karen Grant - Methuen, MA. A young woman who survived a rare cancer now podcasts messages of hope and encouragement through Apple’s iPod. At age 29, Karen Grant was diagnosed with Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer which was present in both lungs was given just months to live. Karen was always a healthy active woman never showed symptoms, which is typical of this diagnosis. |