3 Year Mesothelioma Survivor Stays Busy Raising Awareness of the Disease
Janelle Bedel has endured surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, physical therapy and countless doctor and hospital visits for three years – but now she is declaring herself mesothelioma-free. Diagnosed at the age of 31, Bedel was determined to beat the disease, and now she wants to help others do the same.
Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive cancer primarily caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. Pleural mesothelioma, which is the type of mesothelioma diagnosed in Bedel, is most commonly found in the outer lining of the lungs called the mesothelium. Currently there is no known cure for mesothelioma, and the average survival time varies from 4 – 18 months after diagnosis.
After Bedel’s surgery, where her surgeon told her “if she can remove it all she will, and if she can’t she won’t touch me” she was given 10 months to live. Since that successful surgery and all the treatment that followed, Bedel has been to Washington, DC to the International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma, met with her Senators to encourage passage of the Mesothelioma Awareness Day resolution, is involved with the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation and has her own fundraising page on their web site, and is trying to get the sponsorship for a Miles for Meso 5K walk/run in Rushville.
Bedel now just tries to stay positive, stay healthy and help others by raising awareness. She posts affirmations on her Facebook page regularly where she has prominently displayed “Believe in a Cure.” On August 9th she visited her New York surgeon for her checkup where she proudly posted: “just left the doctor’s office, my scan was good!=) So I will celebrate my 3 year anniversary cancer free! =).”
