Steve Lee of England has been running five miles three times a week for the past twenty-five years. Once running for his health and own enjoyment, he has now turned his running into a way to help others.
Lee was diagnosed with the rare cancer mesothelioma in 2007. His doctors said he would live for six months. With news that alters everything routine, Lee continued his five-mile runs, but with a new focus. With the help and support of his running group, Reading Roadrunners of England, Lee has used his unchanging routine to help thousands of others facing the same grim news. The Reading Roadrunners of England has raised sixty-two thousand dollars for mesothelioma research. The funds have been given to Queen Mary, University of London, and have been matched by the university.
Donations made through Lee’s running group will aid in a project to synthetically produce and test a naturally occurring compound which has shown to kill mesothelioma cells. Following a recent visit to Queen Mary lab, Lee said, “It’s great to be able to meet those involved and ask them things about the research.”
Dr Adrian Dobbs, an organic chemist supervising the mesothelioma research project said, “…if their data are correct then [the research] could certainly have a very powerful effect on giving longevity and a massively improved quality of life” to mesothelioma patients. This is great news as mesothelioma cases are on the rise worldwide.
Mesothelioma is most commonly associated with toxic chemical asbestos, which is believed to be the cancer’s almost exclusive cause. Once airborne, asbestos fibers can be inhaled and pose a threat to lung and lung lining tissues. A mutation in otherwise healthy cells can start from the toxic fibers, which grows into a system of irregularly patterned malignant tumors.
Detection of mesothelioma is difficult as the cancer goes through a latency period often between twenty and fifty years long. Once symptoms do demonstrate, patients who do not know they have ever been exposed to mesothelioma may not consider it a possibility. Mesothelioma is commonly misdiagnosed as pneumonia or other treatable respiratory conditions.
There are many mesothelioma treatments available, but no known cure. Standard procedures include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Palliative care has become a growing choice for patients who want to focus on quality of life without using cancer-direct treatments.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 at 9:34 AM and is filed under General, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
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