The Story of bonnie Anderson, a ten-year mesothelioma Survivor. Bonnie Anderson is a former librarian and avid horseback rider from linden, new jersey. Bonnie was only 53 years old when she was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. The doctors told her that she had 18 months to live. However, against all odds, she survived this cancer for more than 10 years. Bonnie graciously agreed to answer our questions about her experience dealing with mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma Stories is a short documentary series about victims of mesothelioma and their family members. In this episode, we interview Bonnie Anderson, a 10-year peritoneal mesothelioma survivor. She talks about the symptoms she experienced, diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma, doctors and treatment, her mesothelioma lawyers, and more.
How were you diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma?
my journey with me so I'll be getting back it in about 2012 when I wasn't feeling well and I was diagnosed and treated for irritable bowel syndrome for about 2 years and then one day I realized that I filled up with ascites which is fluid in the trial had a very sick abdomen which was unusual the clothes weren't sitting so I went to the doctor and they sent me for a CAT scan and the CAT scan showed a little bit of fluid and the doctor said don't worry about it we'll keep an eye on you still didn't feel good until finally my final sent me to another doctor and he said I think you need to have an exploratory at and that's when we drive I would go for the surgery and find out what was wrong and the food came out negative charge and he still sells he had never seen before except in the college text while turned up to business of Philly up with bells.
Life Before and After Mesothelioma Diagnosis
Before I was diagnosed I was a school librarian and a job that I loved I was a multitasker I wasn't mom I was horseback rider I played tennis and Racquetball and truck started at 6 o'clock in the morning stopped at midnight I did the Super Mom bit I love going always has been doing things and shopping and just I was told it was to volunteer and I was on the little bored and then I got sick and my life changed and I had to quit my job and I had to start depending on other people to take care of and I couldn't get my brain to function normally anymore I can't multitask I got up with leukemia from the treatments I ended up with a hip replacement from the treatments so I have a very limited life now and it's affected me mentally because not only can't I remember my things or I get confused or I can't put my words together correctly but I have to watch my family watch me do this which is a very difficult to know I was very free-thinking self-reliant person and I can't say that I'm that.
What Kind of Treatment did you Undergo?
I was originally diagnosed from in New Jersey by just a general surgeon who had said to me after we got done with the shock that Ryan about what mesothelioma was and that it was a Cancer and then I had it he said he'd never seen it except in the college textbook and this surgeon was a very old doctor Toronto where this disease is so at that point we didn't know what to do and we started running in New Jersey but I got a phone call from the surgeon saying that his new partner had worked as under a residency of John shape in New York who is a surgeon there Andrew I made an appointment with Dr. shape and we walked in he said well so what did the oncologist say and I said try I haven't seen an oncologist I was told to see you so he called Robert Talbott and do. Tao came in the day off he came right into the hospital that day and they conferred about me and that's when they told me what they could about mesothelioma as well kind of treatments they have at the time I went through a major operation could have called the developing through with it opened up my whole abdomen and took out as much to her as they could the tumor was spread throughout throughout abdomen and I took the momentum out which is what holds your organs all in one place in your abdomen tribe is a feeling only tends to survive in the lining of the organs and then I started on different rounds of chemo every week it was a different one or two types of chemo and a time because it was a clinical trial I had to go into the hospital for a few days and then I would end up with some transfusions as needed and shots to bring my blood counts of chemotherapy was it's devastating it's not fun to do with some it's very trial aggressive on the body and after I went through all those weeks and months of chemotherapy I went for a second bulking and a on chemo into peritoneal wash where they actually heat your body up and after they open you up they try a tumor and they switched me to mice and chemotherapy see what your body and I really believe that is wrong great factors in peritoneal mesothelioma survivors now those that can have that done I think it kills a lot of the cancer cells that are residual trial and then after a couple months I went into radiation which is a clinical trial I believe they found really does not work on personal mesothelioma patients so that was some my treatment how I was diagnosed and then because of some of the treatments I into her underwear leukemia diagnosed a few years later because when you have cancer and you have treatment sometimes the body just doesn't come back as normal you end up with other immune-compromised incidences rubber weather factors that because it came over the disease has affected I'm one of the lucky ones I have almost everything that could be affected Toronto.
How Were You Exposed to Asbestos?
how does exposed to asbestos by washing my husband's clothes while he was a Refinery worker and he would come home filthy covering asbestos especially during the beginning years of his job and even then the lady that used to spell this in whatever it is he did bags of it he would put his hands in it so he was always around Asbestos and I would take his clothes and check them out and throw them down the basement and then go into the pile of clothes and bring them to the washing machine and wash them or sometimes he would just come to bed without taking a shower he be so tired because he works so many double shifts or time and a half and you just go to bed right next to me could have been in his hair but it was to his work and Sterling's Bossier is one of the major ways that people are exposed to asbestos Toronto.
What did you feel when you learned that your mesothelioma was caused by asbestos?
when I first learned that my mesothelioma was caused by expecting asbestos I was pretty angry I felt that the incorporation my husband work for Exxon they had known years and years and years ahead of time back in love I think about the late thirties what asbestos friable and they never really let let on to the workers so there's a lot of anger and I feel for all the other workers who still work there or who worked when I did and there cause of death was literally answer and no one ever bothered to find out what kind of cancer had killed them I think there needs to be strong dismayed some accountability on the part of these corporations that new even after the government banned Asbestos and then rescind Robin these corporations needed to be accountable to their workers and their families right it's not always just about them and the money they make.
How did your family receive the news about your diagnosis?
For my doctor the surgeon that I had he's the one that told my husband about the diagnosis and he will make sure it was confirmed by the Pathology which it was immediately and then we had to tell my daughter and that's silly child we have so we told her it was pretty difficult to find out you have cancer that the doctor say you have 6 months to live with so it was so hard things just to deal with it was especially hard for my husband because he was nice.
What was the key to your surviving this cancer?
Well I think the key to surviving has been looking for the right information and finding the best doctors I could I'm going for me for the most radical Island and the most aggressive treatment because mesothelioma trial is known to kill its patients and I went driving into a clinical trial with the thought that I wasn't going to make it but at least I could help others I'll try to find treatment for this car will cancer I felt I needed to go to doctors who would be sympathetic and who could understand what they were treated by New Jersey the treatment was very good and the doctors here only gave me 6 months to live so I went to New York and I made an appointment with Dr. shape the surgeon and do. Tao the oncologist they gave me some hope that I would have a few more years to live with mesothelioma.
What advice would you give to other mesothelioma patients?
Device that would give to someone was recently diagnosed is number one to get in touch with them is a Philly Oma applied Research Foundation or at least a call tomorrow it's called the music Foundation they have a wonderful nurse practitioner name Mary has to offer who can guide the newly diagnosed patients and the family to know the doctors that are available in the treatments that are available each visit patient and case is totally from another one and it's a Scary World out there because there are so few missile Specialists one of the things you have to do when you have this cancer is you have to see a specialist in this disease may have to travel you may have to even get one or two opinions because they might not all be the same type of treatment they might rivalry all the same type of agenda but you have to go to a specialist and that is one of the most important things to do for yourself and for your treatment to try to stay alive.
Why did you decide to file a lawsuit?
I decided to file a lawsuit because I felt that first turn this needed to come out that Exxon and other corporations had neglected the people that work for them the people that give the sweat and the Bloods and the work ethics and give all those years while it's more than just a paycheck it should be a company that takes care of their employees and I also felt that without that when I die because John had to retire early he wasn't going to be able to throw himself with social security or pension or anything else and if I have to go into clinical trial insurance doesn't pay for that sort of thing if I have to go into a nursing home because he can't take care of me anymore throw insurance doesn't pay for that so there had to be some other alternative or we were just going to be in really Dire Straits when I get to the trial that I'm dying
How Successful was your lawsuit?
I was happy with the results of my lawsuit with Levy Phillips & Konigsberg my lawyer how much my man was excellent and very compassionate towards me and my husband and the circumstances that we had dealing with the different revisions between the Superior Court the appeals court and the New Jersey supreme court trial and it each and every court level he applied and expert attorney attitude which was that we as his clients came first and with the final verdict of winning seven and a half million dollars we're all shocked I could not ask a law firm to do better than that against the company like Exxon.
Bonnie continues to live in Linden, New Jersey, wit her husband John. Today, she helps other mesothelioma victims through her advocacy with the mesothelioma applied research foundation, a national organization dedicated to helping those afflicted with mesothelioma and seeking to cure this fatal disease.
Bonnie regularly counsels, comforts and speaks with numerous people diagnosed with mesothelioma. In addition, she lobbied elected officials at the local, state and federal level, and helped get a resolution passed designating September 26 as mesothelioma awareness day.
For her dedication to the mesothelioma community, bonnie Anderson has been named advocated of the month by the facebook project stop mesothelioma
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