Few diagnoses carry the same dread and fear as a diagnosis of mesothelioma. For mesothelioma victims, the news of their condition can be like a death sentence: only about 1 in 10 people diagnosed with mesothelioma will be alive 3 years later; only 1 in 20 will survive five years or more. Few diagnoses carry the same dread and fear as a diagnosis of mesothelioma. For mesothelioma victims, the news of their condition can be like a death sentence: only about 1 in 10 people diagnosed with mesothelioma will be alive 3 years later; only 1 in 20 will survive five years or more.
But some people have beaten these odds. James O’Connor, author of They Said Months, I Chose Years: A Mesothelioma Survivor’s Story, was diagnosed with the disease in 2001 and given a year to live. Instead of preparing for an early death, O’Connor chose to fight for his life by means of a self-created health regime including nutritional supplements, diet changes, and meditation. He survived for seven years after his diagnosis.
Another survivor, the well-known paleontologist and popular science writer Dr. Stephen Jay Gould, was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma in 1982. Gould fought back as well, surviving another 20 years before ultimately dying from another form of cancer.
While mesothelioma stories of survival are rare, they do exist – and are growing more numerous. Thanks to courage, dedication, and fighting spirit, people are living with mesothelioma – and the prospects for even longer life spans for victims of this disease look bright.
