Minnesota woman calls herself poster child for hope after mesothelioma

Roseville, MN - One Roseville woman has dubbed herself "the poster child for hope after meso[thelioma]", and she has the background to back it up.

Heather Von St. James, 39, has been living for almost three years since she was diagnosed with mesothelioma, the life-threatening lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. The average life expectancy of those who suffer from the disease ranges typically from 12 to 18 months.
She thinks she was exposed to the hazardous substance as a child. Her father was a construction laborer who worked with many asbestos-containing products. She said she used to put on his work clothes at times, not knowing that they were covered with asbestos.

Mrs. Von St. James was diagnosed with the cancer in November 2005, a few months after she gave birth to her now 3-year old daughter, Lily. When she returned to work on a part-time basis in August, she started feeling more tired than normal but thought it had to do with being a new mom. However, in October she reported feeling very heavy breathing.

A doctor's office visit resulted in the discovery of fluid in one of her lungs, which led to her going to United Hospital in St. Paul to get the fluid drained. After a series of tests, the doctor told her she had developed mesothelioma and presented her with several options.

If she left the cancer alone, she would probably live for only 15 more months. Radiation and chemotherapy would extend that to about five years. The last option was to undergo a radical surgical process which could possibly save her life. She chose the third.

In early February 2006, Mrs. Von St. James underwent the surgery which consisted of removing her left lung, one of her ribs, half of her diaphragm, the lining around her heart and a few lymph nodes. She spent the next three months recovering and in May, she began chemotherapy treatments. Today, she no longer has any traces of the mesothelioma in her body and is optimistic that it won't return.