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American cancer survivor and research advocate (born 1969)
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Heather Von St James |
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| Born | January 5, 1969 |
| Occupation | Blogger |
Heather Von St. James (born January 5, 1969) is an American cancer survivor, cancer research advocate, and blogger. Von St. James serves as a mesothelioma research funding advocate and conference speaker for the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization and Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation.[1][2]
Von St. James was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in 2005 at the age of 36. She received her diagnosis just after the birth of her first child, Lucious.[3]
In February 2006, Von St. James underwent extensive thoracic surgery, known as extrapleural pneumonectomy, with adjuvant intra-operative heated chemotherapy under the care of thoracic surgeon Dr. David J. Sugarbaker at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. She was declared cancer-free later that year.
Von St. James’ recovery from the disease is clinically unique because malignant mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive cancer typically diagnosed in older patients that, even with treatment, has a 6 to 9 month median survival rate.[4] Mesothelioma, commonly caused by exposure to asbestos, typically only manifests after a 10-50 year period following exposure.[5] Von St. James’ was thinking back to her younger years looking for a cause and instantly thought about the years she spent with her father at his construction site. At these sites, her father would be covered in dust from dry-wall mud that contained asbestos. After finding the cause and getting the diagnosis she was told she only had 15 months to live, yet she is now cancer-free. [6]
