Woman Diagnosed with Mesothelioma at 35 After Childhood Exposure to Asbestos

Woman Diagnosed with Mesothelioma at 35 After Childhood Exposure to Asbestos
Jan 11, 2021 Gayle Gerling Pettinga Read Time: < 1 minute

A 35-year-old woman was diagnosed with mesothelioma.

The doctors found the cancer, which is most commonly found in men 70 years and older, in Heather Von St. James lung after she complained of shortness of breath after having a C-section.

Doctors believe Von St. James was exposed to asbestos when she was a child and would wear her father’s jacket after he got home from his construction job. 

Von St. James’ prognosis was 15 months, but she underwent aggressive treatment and surgery. Today, she is a mesothelioma survivor, outliving her expected survival window by 15 years.

Source: Prevention.com

By: Gayle Gerling Pettinga

Born and raised in Evansville, Gayle is a respected, experienced lawyer and a valued community leader. She graduated near the top of her class at Indiana University’s prestigious Maurer School of Law. She’s practiced law with one of the largest firms in Indianapolis as well as one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. And that means she knows how big law firms and big companies think and how they operate – and she will put that knowledge to work for you.

Gayle has received numerous awards and honors including Martindale-Hubbell — Peer Review Rated: AV®, American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys 10 Best Attorneys in Indiana for Exceptional and Outstanding Client Service, and YWCA Evansville 100 Years, 100 Women Honoree, 2011.

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