1 LUNG FOUR YEARS ON – LIVING WITH MESOTHELIOMA!

4 years ago today, 6 days after my 40th birthday I had my life changing/saving Operation with the removal of my left lung, chest lining & part of my diaphragm! This was following diagnosis just a month earlier of Pleural Mesothelioma. Without the operation, I believe I wouldn’t be here to tell my story! 

There are so many fellow Mesothelioma patients we have met, that sadly are now no longer with us and we think of them and their families and friends. Mike whom I met on my Chemo being the most recent, and he and his wife always had time for us both at chemo & check ups, and were so positive. It really continues to hit home how fortunate I am, as I can only think of a small handful of people who are living with this disease longer than 4 years.  I genuinely believe that being diagnosed at early stages, being young, and having the operation & chemo has saved my life, and enabled me to exceed the 12-18 months life expectancy. 

There are so many of you to thank, but a special thank you has to go to the Medical team for keeping me alive and taking the extreme high risk to do the Operation in the first instance!!:
Professor Woodcock (First consultant following symptoms) 
Dr Shah (BiospySurgeon)
Mr Waller & his team (Mesothelioma Surgeon @ Glenfield hospital)
Dr Paul Taylor (Meso Oncologist who is still looking after me today!). 
Mesothelioma UK Nurses – Lorraine & Maireed.

There are many more medical people, and the list could go on. You know who you are and thank you! …..

Special thank you to my wife and kids, who have been my rock. I’m so lucky to have Ali by my side, and words cannot describe how I feel about her. Without her who knows where I would be… 

When I look back at what has happened and what we have achieved since diagnosis, it makes me very proud and grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way. I wouldn’t wish the last 4 years on anyone, however I have learnt so much about myself, and how resilient as individuals we can be. The love and support people have shown me has exceeded well above anything I could have dreamed of – huge thank you to all our friends and family. The incredible generosity of meals, childcare, donations for my bike rides, my actual bike ride buddies & the long hours of training for both 100mile rides, positive people/quotes/messages, listening to us etc etc! There are so many of you all to thank & name personally but I know that without all of this support, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Erin has almost doubled in age since diagnosis & Josh is now 12-how amazing and what a privilege it is to see them grow up.  

No matter what life throws at you, until that last breathe, never give up, keep believing and have faith. 

“Start my doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible” 

Lots of love Dave xx

P.S (Updated 26.11)
I know so many of you have already but if you would like to donate to help find a cure to Mesothelioma  please donate to https://localgiving.org/fundraising/staleyerasemeso/

I’ve set my own fundraising page and Funds raised go directly to a new charity set up by Paul Cook  (Fellow Young Meso Patient) and his wife Jill. 

ERASE MESO OBJECTIVES 

1. Fund scientific research into mesothelioma to help find a cure or at least a way of maintaining this disease.

2. Raise awareness of mesothelioma.