A South Dakota runner in this year’s Boston Marathon lost her father to mesothelioma cancer just 17 days before the race.

Melanie C. says that her father, Duane B., had made her promise to run the race no matter what, and in turn promised that he would be at the race.

“I felt him the entire race, and especially on the inclines when it got tough,” said Melanie.

Duane B. died from peritoneal mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma is quite rare, and attacks the cell walls around the abdominal cavity, or peritoneum.

Fewer than 500 patients are diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma per year, and make up only 20 percent of mesothelioma cases per year. Pleural mesothelioma attacks the membrane around the lungs, and is much more common.

Melanie finished the 26.2 mile race in just under three and a half hours.

Melanie, 32, has three children of her own. She took up running at the suggestion of her father after the birth of her first child, a direction for the energy and athleticism she had as a former dancer and gymnast.

Duane had been a track and field state champion in high school, and played baseball through college.

Duane B.’s mesothelioma diagnosis came as a total surprise for his family. Duane was 62, and had retired early from a lifetime career as a banker.

In late February, Duane began noticing unusual symptoms. He thought they were connected to heartburn or even indigestion initially. However, the symptoms quickly worsened.

In March, Duane began going through a series of tests to determine the problem. He was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma on March 22 at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

A week later, he was told that surgery was not an option, but he still promised that he’d be at the finish line waiting for Melanie. He died the next day.

Jill B., Duane’s wife, does not believe that his mesothelioma was caused by exposure to asbestos, which is the primary cause of the disease.

Most asbestos mesothelioma patients are workers who have been surrounded by asbestos dust on a regular basis, while Duane was a career banker and was not aware of any potential asbestos exposure.

According to Jill, Duane’s diagnosis is more likely the result of high-dose radiation treatment used to stop his childhood lymphoma. Studies have shown that children with Hodgkin lymphoma have an increased risk of mesothelioma diagnosis as adults.

Mesothelioma is a malignant cancer that may take decades to show significant symptoms, and is therefore often diagnosed in the later and more dangerous stages of the disease. After mesothelioma begins to show symptoms, however, it begins to spread rapidly.

Mesothelioma patients have a relatively limited prognosis and survival rate, partially due to the commonly late stages of diagnosis.

Asbestos Lawsuits

Filing an asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit cannot heal a family member or bring them back, it can help compensate for financial expenses caused by medical bills or lost wages.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with a commonly asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma or mesothelioma lung cancer, you may be able to file an asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit.