This week in Ottawa, Canada, local woman Alissa Boardley will participate in the city’s annual race weekend. Each year the city hosts a series of races followed by a marathon that raise money to help develop the cures for a number of diseases. This year there will be over thirty eight thousand participants running for different causes. Alissa will be joined by a team of twenty individuals, dubbed as the Mesothoners, all running to raise money for the victims of an aggressive cancer known as mesothelioma. Collectively the team has raised over $5,000 for the Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation. Boardley says that she knew very little about the devastating disease until her father was diagnosed with it just one year ago.
With anywhere from two hundred to three hundred new cases in Canada being diagnosed each year, and over two thousand cases in North America identified annually, mesothelioma is becoming a more and more serious issue. Unfortunately, the disease can remain dormant for over twenty five years before its symptoms become apparent. This latency period can make mesothelioma very difficult to detect in its early stages, and often leads to a late diagnosis and a grim prognosis.
Just a few miles north of where the races will take place, there is a small village in the province of Quebec called Ville d’Asbestos. The town has a population of roughly six thousand citizens, many of which rely on a local asbestos mine for employment. The Quebec asbestos mining operation is one of the last of its kind in the world; it exports vast quantities of asbestos products to developing nations where anti-asbestos laws have yet to be passed. Though the citizens of this town have been aware for over sixty years of the controversy surrounding prolonged asbestos exposure, the mine remains in operation and is even planning new developments. asbestos, Quebec highlights the need for redoubling efforts to educate the public about the dangers associated with asbestos products and the dire consequences of contamination.
Races and events like the one being held in Ottawa, Canada are helping to spread awareness all over the world and giving hope to victims of asbestos exposure and their families. As the races commence, many of the streets in Canada’s capitol will be closed off, drawing crowds that will number in the thousands. The courage displayed by Alissa Boardley, who is running in support of her father, is a testament to the bravery and determination that thousands of North American families show as the battle against mesothelioma continues.