One of the world’s longest-lived asbestos poisoning survivors shares his story of health and endurance

 

 

is
Puke

 

 

 

    
 

Ashley
- Whillans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

happen, or are thankful just to wake up alive to see another

morning. While most of us know what tomorrow brings,
uncertainty is the reality for Paul Douglas, a Port Coquitlam resident
and (speculatively) the longest-living survivor of asbestos-incurred
cancer, mesothelioma, in the world.

Diagnosed just over 10 years ago with mesothelioma, an often-
aggressive form of lung cancer which is caused by exposure to
asbestos fibres, Douglas made a decision—he was not going to sit
and wait, he was going to act and fight as hard as possible to find a
cure for this so-called “incurable” illness.

This diagnosis has led Douglas on what he, with a small
chuckle, describes as “a journey.” His journey towards a cure has
led him to people, places and experiences he could have never in
his wildest dreams imagined and it is the successes of this journey
thus far, which have earned him the freedom today to sit back, speak
about his experiences and laugh over the fact that after being given
a death sentence of three to six months, he is still alive (and kicking)
over a decade later.

Refusing to take no for an answer, Douglas has inspired
hundreds, even thousands of people worldwide struggling with the
same disease to find hope and peace. He has also provided other
sufferers with invaluable medical information so that maybe, just
maybe, they too can add a few more years to their lives.

But before his miraculous journey continues, we must backtrack
over 1000 years to the most important piece of the puzzle, and the
starting block of Douglas’ story: asbestos. Dubbed the “miracle
mineral” by the Greeks because of its “soft and pliant properties”
and its ability to withstand heat and chemical damage, asbestos has
long been used in the construction and electricity industries.

It’s in our houses, hospitals and schools. It’s in the cement
stone around us, the paint of our buildings and our linoleum floors.
It’s even in our insulation and the aluminum siding on our houses.

It is also a human carcinogen. Exposure to asbestos is toxic, and in
human beings it can cause a variety of illnesses, including aggressive
forms of cancer such as mesothelioma and an illness reminiscent of
black lung, asbestosis.

Working as a boilermaker, Douglas was exposed to this deadly
cacogenic while in contact with the steel of the boilers he was
working on.

“Back in 1978 when I got into the boilermakers all the work
was in the oil refineries and pulp mills. Everything in that time
was insulation, and behind that insulation was asbestos,” explains
Douglas.

While in its raw, pure form, asbestos is perfectly safe, it
becomes dangerous when it becomes fibrous and as Douglas
reiterates, “When the asbestos becomes fibrous, it becomes little
‘hunks’ and when you breathe them in, they get into your lungs.
These fibres are like little hooks and once they become imbedded in
your lungs they never go away”.

At the age of 44, some 10 or 15 years after first being exposed
to the poisonous fibres of asbestos, Douglas began experiencing
symptoms like shortness of breath. Sure enough, it was cancer; he
was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and given three to six
months to live.

Mesothelioma is, in the words of Douglas, a “two-headed
snake” attacking both the inside and outside of the lungs with its
hook-like tumours eroding the protective sack, the mesothelium,
which protects most of the body’s internal organs.

The youngest ever to be diagnosed with this illness, out of
all reported cases and with a young daughter at home (who is now
a Nursing student at Douglas College) he was not about to let his
diagnosis bring him down.

“When the doctor first gave me the diagnosis, I was angry, but
also determined,” says Douglas. “Once the doctor tells you get your
paperwork ready and go home you can either go home and wait or
research and try to fight it. I knew I had a choice, either sit at home
and wait to die or take action. I took action.”

Through the internet and email he talked to others all over the
world, collecting stories, cures and treatment information. Using
a combination of chemotherapy, herbs, medication and alternative
treatments Douglas has managed to keep his illness at bay and in the
process inspire thousands of others around the world to look for their
own cures.

R= of us make goals wondering if we will be alive to see them

“T began experimenting with other stuff [other than
chemotherapy, etc.] such as herbs, vitamins. I fine tuned my
treatments, because I had to, to keep going,” he explains.

Some of his treatments include immune system boosters such
as vitamin essentials, pro-C and detoxifiers like grape seed extract,
garlic, vitamin E with selenium, milk thistle and Quercetin C, which,
according to Douglas, play a huge role in the fight against cancer.

In addition to consuming a wide range of medications and diet
supplements such as Usana products, he read visualisation literature
such as Love, Medicine & Miracles, a book by Dr. Bernie Siegal
about healing through prayer and positive thinking.

Between the combination of nature and chemical treatments
Douglas has miraculously been treatment-free since June 2007, over
eight years after the initial diagnosis.

Today, Douglas’ story is the basis of inspiration and hope for
those around the world.

“T talk to people all over the world, I give them hope because
usually when people do their research it’s not a very good thing,
when you get diagnosed usually its three to six months. There’s a
few people who live longer, maybe a few years, but there’s only one
other long survivor,” he says.

As for the future, “I feel good right now,” Douglas says. “But
I’ll always have mesothelioma; all I can do is keep it at bay.”

.,, Unfortunately, Douglas’ illness is not an isolated incident. In
fact, according to the Workers Compensation Board website, nearly
30 years after the government widely restricted asbestos use because
it was found to cause chronic diseases of the lungs, asbestosis, lung
cancer, and mesothelioma— exposure to asbestos fibres—remains the
number one occupational disease killer in BC. Since 2007, asbestos
has been linked to almost half of work-related fatalities, and that
figure is expected to rise over the next decade.

Although asbestos is banned, any structure built before 1990
probably harbours asbestos in some form or another; in its drywall
taping compounds, stippled ceiling textures, sheet flooring, attic
insulation, or furnace wrap.

As Douglas explains, a major risk today is renovations. If
someone’s house was built before 1960, the chance of having
asbestos in the house is over 85 per cent! What this means is that if
you rip up floor tiles, and come across asbestos, accidently causing it
to become fibrous (such as by crushing the tiles) there is a possibility
of exposing yourself to asbestos without even knowing it.

When asked if we could ever get rid of the problem, Douglas
replied, “Can we ever get rid of it? As long as it’s contained and
sealed, it’s alright, but if you take up floor, and you make it fibrous,
that’s when it becomes deadly. There isn’t the ways, the means or
the money to actually take every asbestos piece, or anything dealing
with asbestos to get rid of it, it’s too big of a task”

We might not be able to get rid of asbestos, but as Douglas
says, we can educate ourselves about it. Since his diagnosis, Douglas
has worked side by side with the Workers Compensation Board to
educate on the dangers of asbestos.

“Educating the masses is what it’s all about. That’s definitely
what it is all about,” he says. “I wouldn’t want my daughter going
into a place knowing that you potentially harm yourself down the
road, or down the road become very sick. Educating the masses
about the dangers of asbestos is key.”

Although the double headed dragon remains in his body
forever, it is still dormant, and Douglas remains optimistic for the
future.

“Every day is a miracle. I wake up every day grateful for
another living day,” he says. “I try to do my best to help people out,
and if my story gives people hope that’s what it’s all about as far as
I’m concerned.”

In the words of Douglas, “Just to wake up every day knowing
the hand I was dealt and to be able achieve the goals I set is
amazing!”

Regardless of whether or not you or your family is ever
exposed to asbestos poisoning or any other chronic illness, Douglas’
story is inspiring all in itself. It is a reminder that we all have the
choice in our lives, to be living the life we dream of now, to set goals
and greet each day is a gift, and an opportunity to love, learn and
serve others.

1