Wyoming Hospice Nurse Takes Top Prize in Mesothelioma Scholarship Contest
In her winning essay, Sally Whelan shared her personal story of losing her father to the asbestos cancer and her plans for becoming a paramedic. NEW YORK – MesotheliomaHelp.org is proud to award Wyoming hospice nurse Sally Whelan with the first-place prize in the cancer organization’s annual Jan Egerton & Don Smitley Mesothelioma Scholarship contest. Sally was awarded $2,500 to pay for tuition as she pursues her goal of becoming a paramedic and continuing to help people in need. In her prize-winning essay, “My Father, A Hero,” Sally shared the story of her father, a World War II veteran and a captain in the Merchant Marines, who died from pleural mesothelioma when she was 17. A strong and brave man, her father struggled to keep the disease a secret from Sally and her sisters, but his suffering was all too clear. Watching her father try to cope with the pain of the asbestos cancer ultimately led to Sally’s career as a hospice nurse. In her job, Sally is able to help a