Mesothelioma is such a unique disease that sometimes we forget that mesothelioma patients are also cancer patients. And as cancer patients, they are connected to cancer patients all over the world.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014 was a good day to remember that. February 4, 2014 marked the fourth World Cancer Day, a day for honoring and recognizing people with cancer, including mesothelioma patients. It is a time when cancer organizations try to remind everyone that ending cancer should be a global health priority. This message should be especially poignant for mesothelioma patients and their families. The U.S. government has clamped down on the asbestos- producing companies and asbestos-containing products here that may have caused your mesothelioma decades ago. But many of these companies have simply moved their lethal businesses overseas to countries where the environmental laws are not up-to-date, where there is unpunished corruption and where people are too poor and desperate to turn away any work even if it will ultimately give them cancer.
According to the latest data released by the World Health Organization, an estimated 14.1 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths occurred in 2012, compared with 12.7 million and 7.6 million, respectively, in 2008.
The night of February 4, the Empire State Building in New York City was lit up in blue and orange for the fourth year in a row. The colors are those of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), which organizes World Cancer Day.
This year the UICC will focus on dispelling damaging myths and misconceptions about cancer. “World Cancer Day is a chance to raise our collective voices in the name of improving general knowledge around cancer and dismissing misconceptions about the disease,” the UICC states on its website.
The organization aims to improve knowledge about cancer and dismiss these 4 myths that have relevance for mesothelioma patients:
Myth 1: We don’t need to talk about cancer.
Truth: Mesothelioma can be a difficult topic to address but dealing with the disease openly can improve outcomes at an individual, community and policy level.
Myth 2: Cancer… There are no signs or symptoms.
Truth: As with many cancers, there are warning signs and symptoms for mesothelioma
Myth 3: There is nothing I can do about cancer.
Truth: Although limited, treatment options exist for mesothelioma.
Myth 4: I don’t have the right to cancer care.
Truth: All mesothelioma patients have the right to access proven and effective treatments and services on equal terms, and without suffering hardship as a consequence. Contact Kazan Law.