Happy National Nurses Week

National Nurses Week, which takes place every year between May 6 and May 12, honors nurses for the vital role they play in today’s health care systems. We would like to thank and recognize all of the wonderful nurses in our community and in the world. Their commitment to protecting and improving the health of their patients — in a wide range of roles and settings — does not go unnoticed.

In the spirit of National Nurses Week, we also celebrate the memories of five nurses in our mesothelioma community and their lasting impact. Our executive director (and a nurse practitioner herself) Mary Hesdorffer offered the following tributes:

• Heather Nash
  • Recognizing Heather’s impact on her patients, friends and her very own mesothelioma community is so very important to all of us who came to love her and her family.
• Kristi Frey Lescalleet
  • A wonderful nurse committed to her family, friends, faith and her community, Kristi educated many people about her journey with mesothelioma. She also participated in multiple research efforts that we hope will improve the lives of mesothelioma warriors worldwide.
• Meg Lawyer Meccariello
  • Meg, another nursing colleague and mesothelioma warrior, inspired Congressman John Katko (R-NY) to support the Meso Foundation’s advocacy of a mesothelioma patient registry. 
• June Breit
  • A member of the Meso Foundation’s Board of Directors, June was a strong advocate for raising mesothelioma awareness. Her legacy lives on through her words on our blog: “To live until we say goodbye” and “The power of community”
• Jocelyn Farrar
  • Also a member of the Meso Foundation’s Board of Directors, Jocelyn was widely known throughout the community for her work on behalf of mesothelioma warriors. She raised awareness and critical research funds to help in our war on mesothelioma.

Take a few moments this week and thank your favorite nurse (or nurses) for the work they do for you and all patients.

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to eradicate mesothelioma and end this national tragedy. Its programs include the funding of promising and peer-reviewed research, education, support and advocacy. The organization strives to bring together thought-leaders in the field to identify the most direct path to a cure.