Carbondale, Illinois mother and daughter work to establish Mesothelioma Day on September 26
Lacey Caraway, of Carbondale, Illinois and her mother, Janet Graeff, are working to establish September 26 as Mesothelioma Awareness Day in Illinois and across the U.S. This move is just part of the pair’s campaign to ban the use of asbestos in this country and to educate the general public about its risks. The two undertook their efforts after Caraway was diagnosed with mesothelioma in December 2005. Once she located medical specialists in the disease, Caraway underwent three surgeries and twice that many rounds of chemotherapy. Though she is now in remission, Caraway explains that she cannot function without a strict regime of pain management medication. Mesothelioma is an unusually painful cancer caused by asbestos exposure that unfortunately, has no cure.
On the national front, says Graeff, she and her daughter “are trying to get a bill through to congress to ban asbestos; the Senate passed their version unanimously in October of 2007; the House version is currently held up in committee.” In Illinois, Governor Blagojevich has already proclaimed September 26 Mesothelioma Awareness Day. But Graeff and Caraway have urged Murphysboro Republican Mike Bost to help push a resolution through the Illinois legislature to make the designation permanent.
For the full story, go to the Southern Illinoisan..
