Every patient has a different way of coping with disease; in California, a woman suffering from abdominal mesothelioma has painted her house seafoam green to boost her spirits.  Rebekah Price was diagnosed about two years ago and has since had surgery at the National Institutes for Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.  She returns to the Institute every four months for a PET scan, but expects the disease will return within five years.

Color has added excitment and brightness to Rebekah's life. "The living room is a metallic gold, the kitchen is orange, the kitchenette is yellow,” she said. “There’s two green rooms, there’s a purple hallway, a pink wall, a blue room and a red room.”  Most striking, however, is the seafoam green exterior.  Vivid color, Rebekah said, has become a comforting, positive force in her life.  “Life’s been pretty dark for a long time,” she said. “I want color, you know?”

Unfortunately, not all of Rebekah's neighbors have found the same joy in color.   Many believe the house sticks out like a sore thumb in the neighborhood and is too glaring for their particular community.  Rebekah and her children have incurred harassment and vandalism because of the opposition to the color. But Rebekah holds her head high and faces the abuse with optimism and humor; when a racially motivated comment was made implying her house would be better fit for Mexico, Rebekah merely hosted a Mexican-themed party with a taqueria and a mariachi band.

In the face of a terminal illness, Rebekah is inspiration to all of us.  She combats her disease and the harassment with poise, logic, and strength.  And not even the dark and disheartening comments can take the color out of Rebekah's personality.

Awhile back I wrote about a three network telethon entitled “Stand Up to Cancer.” Today September 5th, 2008 the telethon will air on ABC, CBS, and NBC at 8 p.m. EST. The telethon will include musical performances and appearances from actors, athletes, and journalists. The telethon will feature such celebrities as Meryl Streep, Lance Armstrong, Forest Whitaker, Charlize Theron, Hilary Swank, America Ferrera, Danica Patrick, Salma Hayek, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Masi Oka and news anchors Charles Gibson, Brian Williams and Katie Couric. Katie Couric, CBS Evening News anchor said, “"Every time I hear the statistics, I don't know about you all, one person a minute, 1,500 a day, all I can think about is those families whose lives have been shattered by these losses. And clearly, we all felt -- we've all personally experienced loss through cancer. We felt like we had to do something about it, and that's why we've joined forces."

Viewers will be invited to donate by calling the celebrity-staffed phone bank or by texting. However the most unique way to contribute is by purchasing a star in honor of a loved one that will be placed in the “Stand Up to Cancer” constellation. Brian Williams, NBC Nightly News Anchor has purchased two stars for his mother and sister, who both lost their life to cancer.

Although there will be an entertaining component to the telecast, the hope is to entertain the idea of new approaches in the fight against cancer. "Well, there's going to be entertainment. But I hope, more than anything else, there's going to be information because there are a lot of misconceptions about cancer," Charlie Gibson, ABC World News anchor said. "Everybody thinks of it as sort of a monolithic disease. There are hundreds and hundreds of cancers. This is really, A, to raise money, but most importantly to get it in the forefront of the public consciousness."

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Mesothelioma Awareness day is just a few weeks away and on September 26th we encourage everyone to spread awareness about the disease. Awhile back I wrote about how Jordan Zevon has a radio campaign designed to bring awareness to mesothelioma. His father, beloved musician Warren Zevon, died on September 7, 2003 due to mesothelioma.

For those who are not familiar with Zevon’s music, he brought us such hits as "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Werewolves of London." Rolling Stone magazine described Zevon as, “literate, satiric, violence-obsessed, funny as hell, piano-pounding, equally capable of deranged rock-outs and beautifully sustained melodies."

Legendary late night talk show host David Letterman was a good friend of Zevon and he recalls his last meeting with Zevon in a recent interview with Rolling Stone Magazine. "Here's a guy who had months to live and we're making small talk. And as we're talking, he's taking his guitar strap and hooking it, wrapping it around, then he puts the guitar into the case and he flips the snaps on the case and says, ‘Here, I want you to have this, take good care of it.' And I just started sobbing."

There are two great ways for you to get involved from now until September 26th. First, we encourage people to contact their local radio stations and request Warren Zevon’s music, which will be followed by a 20 second segment where Jordan Zevon speaks out about mesothelioma. Secondly, individuals can help by contacting their local government officials to declare September 26th as Meso Awareness Day in their areas.

Leigh Carlisle, 28, became England’s youngest victim of mesothelioma when she died recently after a two year battle with the disease. It is believed that Leigh was exposed to and inhaled asbestos fibers as a child during school. Leigh’s lawyers have requested a freedom of information request about the buildings where Leigh was taught. It is also a possibility that Leigh breathed in deadly fibers as she walked passed a factory yard, where asbestos sheets were cut up, on her way to school.

In an interview last year, recalling her devastation at being diagnosed, she said, “I was 26 and thought I was invincible and it was the last thing I expected them to tell me. I only walked through the factory yard as a short cut to my class. I used to walk there with my cousins, auntie and mother. Thankfully they are all fine. It was the worst feeling in the world. I have taken a positive approach and I'm just getting on with my life as best I can.”

At the time of her death Leigh was trying to raise awareness about her condition. She battled with the illness for 18 months but died at North Manchester Hospital General Hospital last week with her boyfriend by her side. Michael Price, Leigh’s boyfriend said, “Leigh had so much courage and strength. She was an inspiration to me and to others.” Her parents, Sheila and Mark, sister Sarah and niece Bella, also added that, “Leigh is still very much a part of our family and always a treasured daughter, sister and auntie. Everyone is so proud of her.”

About 2,000 people die from mesothelioma in England each year. It is also believed that 90,000 more people in England will die from the disease and that a further 90,000 will die from other lung diseases related to asbestos exposure. About 200 schools workers have died or are suffering serious illness because of asbestos in schools and it is estimated about 13,000 schools still contain asbestos.

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Steven Dux, of Colorado, has filed an asbestos lawsuit against 13 companies on behalf of his father. Dux claims that the mesothelioma his father, Andres Martinez, was diagnosed with was wrongfully caused. Martinez was diagnosed with the disease on March 14, 2007, and died November 6, 2007.

The suit claims that from 1952 to 1990, while Martinez worked as a laborer and heavy equipment operator at various locations, he was exposed to and inhaled asbestos fibers. Moreover, the suit claims that Martinez’s exposure was foreseeable and should have been anticipated by the defendants.

Due to the asbestos exposure, Dux alleges that his father became disabled and disfigured, which required him to spend large amounts of money for medical, hospital, and other health services necessary to treat the disease. As a result of his mesothelioma, Martinez experienced great physical pain and mental agony. Furthermore, the disease hindered and prevented Martinez from pursuing employment and as a result he lost large sums of money.

Dux is seeking sums in excess of $50,000 and compensatory damages in excess of $100,000. He is also seeking a large amount of punitive damages to punish the defendants for their wrongdoing in an attempt to discourage similar parties from committing comparable acts of misconduct in the future.