British Man Fights Mesothelioma by Running

When Steve Lee, 63, was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma 3 years ago his doctors told him he had 6 months to live.  Despite his prognosis, Lee refused the radical treatment offered and returned to his 25-year running routine while continuing “life as normally as I could, trying to be positive and not giving in to the disease.” Lee’s father died from the disease in 2002.

According to the BBC World Service Health Check, 1 in 170 British men born in the 1940′s are expected to die from mesothelioma.  In addition, Britain has more deaths from asbestos-related diseases than any other country.

Mesothelioma is a serious cancer that occurs in individuals exposed to airborne asbestos fibers, typically affecting those that work with asbestos-containing materials.  The World Health Organization estimates that 125 million people worldwide are still exposed to asbestos at work.

Lee knows he is one of the lucky ones as his doctors have made it clear to him that there is no cure for mesothelioma and the average survival time for mesothelioma patients, once diagnosed, is often less than a year.  Lee’s doctors said the only treatment they could offer him, and there was only a very small chance that it would eradicate the disease, was a multi-modal approach involving surgery to remove his right lung, followed by chemotherapy and radiation.

While Lee refused the surgery and radiation, he has undergone two procedures to remove the buildup of fluid in his lungs, and he just completed a round of chemotherapy.  When asked by the BBC if he can beat the disease, Lee said that he may not be able beat the disease itself but his running and fitness is definitely helping him beat the odds, and he has no plans to stop running.

More articles by Nancy Meredith

Nancy Meredith is a blog and web content writer with more than 20 years of professional experience in the Information Technology industry. She has been writing about Mesothelioma for 4 years. Follow Nancy on Google+