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Mesothelioma Awareness Day Gets a Boost from Social Media

ByAlex Strauss

 

Paul Kraus, Mesothelioma Survivor
Paul Kraus, Mesothelioma Survivor

 

Victims of mesothelioma and their families are being invited to make their voices and their stories heard on social media in advance of the 11th annual Mesothelioma Awareness Day on September 26th. The invitation is being extended by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an organization committed to ending the scourge of asbestos diseases like mesothelioma through education, advocacy and community.

Founded in 2004, ADAO protects the rights of mesothelioma victims and others with asbestos diseases and works with public health organizations to prevent asbestos exposure. They have long called for the US Congress to enact an asbestos ban.

“Currently in the United States, we are witnessing one of the most crucial moments in Toxic Chemical reform and it is the closest we have been to an asbestos ban since 1989,” says ADAO founder Linda Reinstein whose husband died of mesothelioma. To ignite the conversation in advance of Mesothelioma Awareness Day, Reinstein will host #ENDMeso chats on Twitter on Tuesdays in September from 12 to 1 Eastern Time.

“We need your voice, your heart, and your thoughts to raise awareness and build support to end this man made tragedy, especially at this defining historical moment,” says Reinstein. Asbestos industries have been outspoken in their opposition to an asbestos ban in the US, despite the fact that mesothelioma has been definitively linked to the toxic mineral.

Although as many as 3,000 Americans die of mesothelioma each year, the disease in not universally fatal and long-time survivors like Paul Kraus give hope to other mesothelioma patients and their families. Seventy-year-old Kraus, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 1997 and given less than a year to live, is now the longest-living survivor of the disease.

Kraus’ remarkable story, including the conventional, and complementary therapies and lifestyle changes that have contributed to his unprecedented 18-year survival, are detailed in his book “Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient’s Guide”. Click here to read more about his inspiring book and to order your own copy.

Source:

“#ENDMeso Tuesday Twitter Chats – Join the Global Conversation for Mesothelioma Awareness and Action”, August 26, 2015, ADAO website

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