Mesothelioma Book - Review

"Lean on Me" Cancer through a carer's eyes Lorraine Kember (2003) 130pp.ISBN 0 646 49969 6

As Janet Craven, palliative care nurse, and Andrew Dean, palliative care physician note in their respective forwards to this book, Lean on Me is a unique and intensely personal description of a writer's responses to her husband Brian's diagnosis, treatments and final death from mesothelioma. The book also provides useful discription of the nature of pain, the usefulness of certain drugs, and the ways in which keeping a journal can assist the medical practitioner in assessing pain management. The overarching narrative, however, is the progression of Brian's cancer, and his erratic but inevitable deterioration. Interspersed with poems and excerpts from Lorraine's diary, this is perhaps the most confronting aspect of the book, simply because it is so personal. While Brian's death is factually noted, Lorraine's description of the moment is emotionally conveyed in a short poem and diary entry. The book concludes with reflections written days, weeks and a year later, on Brian's presence, and her search for meaning and love in her changed life trajectory. this is indeed a compelling read, and a useful resource for both carers and practitioners.

David Ritchie Media,communications and Creative Arts Research School of communicaton and Creative Arts, Deakin University, Melbourne

Lorraine Kember is the Author of "Lean on Me" Cancer through a Carer's Eyes. Lorraine's book is written from her experience of caring for her dying husband in the hope of helping others. It includes insight and discussion on: Anticipatory Grief, Understanding and identifying pain, Pain Management and Symptom Control, Chemotherapy, Palliative Care, Quality of Life and Dying at home. It also features excerpts and poems from her personal diary. Highly recommended by the Cancer Council. "Lean on Me" is not available in bookstores - For detailed information, Doctor's recommendations, Reviews, Book Excerpts and Ordering Facility - visit her website http://www.cancerthroughacarerseyes.jkwh.com

In The News:


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JD Supra (press release)
Asbestos is still legal in the US Every year, 9000 Americans are stricken with asbestos-related illnesses, like lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, according to the Environmental Working Group. Workers who have been most exposed include ...


Burton Mail

Orthopaedic surgeon killed by mesothelioma
Burton Mail
... he removed a boiler packed with white asbestos. Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Geoffrey Newton died at the Royal Derby Hospital's Nightingale Macmillan Unit aged 81, almost two years after he was diagnosed with lung-lining disease mesothelioma.

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Daily News - Galveston County

Genetic susceptibility to mesothelioma
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About 3000 people die of mesothelioma every year, nearly half within one year of diagnosis. The main cause of this cancer is asbestos, a fibrous material that gets inhaled into the lungs. The National Institutes of Health estimates 11 million people ...
New Biomarker Raises Hope of Early Detection, Treatment of MesotheliomaAlbany Times Union

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Weitz & Luxenberg Helps Lifetime GE Worker Reach Settlement against ...
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... diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma – a rare cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs – two years ago, the same week in May in which his lawsuit was brought to its successful conclusion. Mesothelioma's only known cause is exposure to asbestos, ...

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Finding the Mesothelioma Asbestos Connection
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Even though the cause of mesothelioma – exposure to asbestos – is well-known, it is not always easy for a mesothelioma patient to find his or her own 'asbestos connection'. For people who worked in asbestos-filled job environments, such as asbestos ...


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Unsafe Asbestos Conditions Prompt Worker Strike
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... fear for their health every time they are exposed to hazardous asbestos and not provided with protective gear such as respirators, which will prevent them from inhaling dangerous dust and fibers that can later cause lung cancer and mesothelioma.
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