Posted on March 5, 2014
Saturday is the 106th Annual International Women’s Day!
Where: Everywhere!
What: International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.
Why: Suffragettes campaigned for women’s right to vote. The word ‘Suffragette’ is derived from the word “suffrage” meaning the right to vote. International Women’s Day honours the work of the Suffragettes, celebrates women’s success, and reminds of inequities still to be redressed.
An important part of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization’s (ADAO) mission is to be the Voice of the Victims. For this reason, our Share Your Story campaign is close to my heart. As it relates to my own story, I often share openly about my husband’s death from mesothelioma, but I rarely mention that I am a cancer survivor. Is it my maternal instinct, optimism, or anger that fuels social action? Maybe it’s all three.
My inspiration comes from many brave women who are Meso Warriors. Women like Debbie, Mavis, Janelle, Lou, Julie, Heather, Jan, Rachel, Jill, Anita, and Bonnie – just to name a few. Throughout their illnesses, when others would have taken to their beds, these women fight for a better world — a world free from lethal asbestos.
The face of mesothelioma is changing. Young women are now being diagnosed. These are the women who as little girls hugged their dads who came home from work with lethal asbestos on their clothes. They are wives who washed their husbands’ laundry and breathed in the deadly fibers. They are women whose homes were near asbestos factories. And then, there are the women like myself who have lost loved ones to asbestos disease.
On Saturday, we honor and celebrate all women – patients, caregivers, families, friends, community advocates, leaders – across the globe. Each and every one of these women’s voices matter. As we applaud the staggering accomplishments, successes, and triumphs of women, we acknowledge and remember their inspirational stories. Read the entire collection of Share Your Stories and click here to share your story.
Together, change is possible.
Linda Reinstein