May 3rd, 2008
The people meeting at the Detroit Marriott looked like any other convention where people were all strangers. But the people that were chatting and sharing stories had one deadly common link - mesothelioma.
The gathering crowd milling in the lobby of the Marriott in downtown Detroit looked like many other conventions where strangers came together. The one link that tied everyone in the room, though, was a deadly form of lung cancer called mesothelioma. The people gathered at the hotel are either family members of someone that had mesothelioma, or victims themselves. A deadly, fast moving disease, mesothelioma is an aggressive form of lung cancer that is linked with asbestos exposure.
The convention is an annual event geared towards building a support system for mesothelioma victims and their loved ones, and the hopes to raise awareness of the disease. Mesothelioma is the result of breathing in airborne asbestos particles. Asbestos that is disturbed or mishandled becomes friable, or airborne, and the fibers can be breathed in to the lungs. The particles get trapped in the lungs, causing the tissue there to no longer be able to absorb oxygen. The cancer can lay dormant for years, and is usually terminal by the time a victim is diagnosed.
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