HomePatientsMesothelioma TestimonialsTina Herford

There are the traditional fighters in the ring and then there are those that fight each day for their life. Each round brings another obstacle, but they persevere despite it all. Tina Herford is the embodiment of that tenacious spirit. After battling breast cancer, she was hit another blow when she was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma in 2016. Upon meeting with PHLBI’s Scientific Advisor Dr. Robert B. Cameron Tina was approved for pleurectomy decortication surgery in the fall of 2016. Tina then completed an aggressive round of chemotherapy. A year later Tina discovered that she also had peritoneal mesothelioma, requiring her to undergo another surgery to remove the cancer around her abdomen. Throughout all this Tina maintained her active lifestyle, playing golf, fishing, and visiting with her four children and six grandchildren. She also kept her deep faith, praying that she would win her latest fight with cancer so she could continue to be there for her family. Determined to remain active so she could enjoy the quality of life she was used to; she went ahead with a hip replacement surgery in 2019. “I’m in a fight with mesothelioma, and there can only be one winner, and it’s going to be me,” said Tina. She shares her spirit with her fellow mesothelioma warriors on PHLBI’s Patient Support Group call. And uses her story to inspire everyone around her, urging people to help raise awareness and support research. This past year she participated in her fourth “Walk for Mesothelioma” and raised over $161,000 for mesothelioma research as captain of Team Pinky. Her success shows that mesothelioma has met its match with Tina Herford.