MCA Staff Writers

The Face Of Climate Change is the theme for Earth Day 2013. Countries around the world are mobilizing their citizens to take part in various activities to raise awareness of the growing threat of climate change. From a green car show in Santa Barbara to an Earth Day Flash Mob in Korea, people of the world are taking part in this historic day to celebrate and raise awareness.

As Asbestos Awareness Week 2013 progresses, it’s important to take a look back in time at the valuable information we’ve posted on our blog. Some of our most popular blog posts have been those related to asbestos awareness and education. Asbestos Awareness week is an important time for the mesothelioma community. Since so many people are unaware of the dangers of asbestos, this week in particular is an ideal time to educate others on these hazards.

With March Madness in the air, so many people are focusing on their brackets. We're looking at the places teams will be playing as well, but for different reasons. Want to know how March Madness and the places these teams are playing relate to the world of mesothelioma and asbestos? Here are some examples:

First known as Armistice Day, the history of Veterans Day comes from the end of fighting during World War I on November 11, 1918 when an armistice between the Allied Nations and Germany went into effect and ended the most destructive and widespread war to that date. The war officially ended seven months later when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919.

Left to right- Leah and Stacy

Late last week, Leah and Stacy, two sisters who joined together to fight against the asbestos industry after losing their father to mesothelioma, along with the entire anti-asbestos community, were outraged and saddened when the Canadian government in Quebec loaned the Jeffery asbestos mine $58 million to reopen their operations. Last year, the Jeffery Mine was closed because of financial troubles. With the well-known connection to cancer, the Jeffery mine's closing was a victory for those fighting to close it. Now, more than ever, Leah and Stacy could use the help of all anti-asbestos supporters to help victims and their families' have a voice against this deadly carcinogen and continue to fight to shut down asbestos mining!

Poster from AFL-CIO

Today, April 28th, marks the international Workers’ Memorial Day. Observed each year, it is a day for remembering fellow workers who have been hurt or killed on the job and a day to renew focus on the efforts to continue to work towards safer working conditions for all.

Asbestos: a fiber that is 700 times smaller than a human hair, yet it kills 90,000 people a year. Asbestos exposure can cause the deadly disease known as mesothelioma, an aggressive, yet preventable, disease.

On March 5, 2012, the United States Senate passed a resolution (S. Res. 389) recognizing the first week of April as “National Asbestos Awareness Week.” Sponsored by United States Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), the resolution hopes to raise awareness of asbestos-related diseases – including mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer – and the incredible danger asbestos exposure poses to health.

The following post is the first in a series of mesothelioma patient, survivor, and caregiver interviews entitled Perspectives in Mesothelioma. The first participant in our series is Louise "Lou" Williams, a mesothelioma survivor who serves as Vice President of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Victoria in South Melbourne, Australia. We'd like to thank Lou for not only sharing her story with the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance and its visitors, but also for serving as a tireless advocate for the many victims of asbestos disease across the globe. Read below for Lou's unique perspectives and reflections on mesothelioma and other asbestos related disease.