Hi, my name
is Deidre vanGerven.
On the 1st June,1997 my husband Thom died of Pleural
Mesothelioma.
This is a lesser known cancer effecting the lining
of the lungs and is caused by exposure to asbestos.
At present Mesothelioma is different from most other cancers in
the length of time it develops from the actual exposure to asbestos,
and in the speed it manifests itself. By the time it is diagnosed it
is mostly too late, and any attempt at treatment is usually
palliative in nature.
Because of my husband's experience and with hind-sight, I now
believe there were earlier warning signs. If I had known what I now
know, I'm sure Thom could have been diagnosed earlier. It is too
late to help him now, but from what I've read since his death; there
will be many people as yet undiagnosed who may be able to be helped.
There have been estimations done, that the incidence of asbestos-related
diseases will peak in the year 2021. That is another eleven years away.
Then you have the years after that, as the number slowly
decreases.
What I have learnt since Thom's death has prompted me to
gather information on the effects that exposure to asbestos
has had on all people. Hence this website.
Doing this may make some sense as to what happened to us, and may
also make the general public aware that this could happen to them.
Perhaps then, changes will be made in the treatment of those
people inadvertently exposed to asbestos through no fault of their
own.
