Cancer survivor talks of friend she lost to mesothelioma, son she lost to brain cancer
Tish Hearne of Camarillo, California is a breast cancer survivor. She recently spoke at the luminaria ceremony for the Camarillo Relay for Life. In her speech, she began with how difficult it was to come up with something to say because of how intensely she wants to find a cure for cancer.
Hearne lost her 8 year old son Thomas to pediatric brain cancer earlier this year on March 19. Four days before she gave her speech, one of her high school friends lost his three-year battle with peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Her friend Ken left behind a wife and two young daughters.
In addition to her son and her friend, Hearne also remembered her former co-captain at Relay for Life, Grace, who died of breast cancer in 2006, and another friend from the Relay for Life committee, Milt, who died of cancer last year.
Hearne said that she prayed and talked to Thomas when looking for inspiration. She realized that she needed to express the reality of cancer’s effects to create awareness, fund research and continue moving toward a cure.
She herself was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in March 2002. Though she triumphed over her cancer, Hearne believes that her son’s purpose was to make a significant difference helping find a cure for pediatric cancer. She said that Thomas was filled with radiant love that he shared with all who knew him during his eight-month stay at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Hearne recalled her days at the hospital among the other childhood cancer patients, noting that 12,500 children are diagnosed with cancer each year, but only 3% of clinical trial funding goes toward pediatric cancer research. Her pursuit of hope for children with cancer is called the Thomas Touch of Hope to help cure childhood cancer.
For the full story, go to Camarillo Acorn.
