Mum-of-three Diane Cuthbertson fears she may have been exposed to asbestos dust brought home on her dad’s work clothes
Diane Cuthbertson fears her absestos-related cancer could have been caused by dust on her dad’s work clothing(Image: Handout / Irwin Mitchell)
A Blaydon mum fears the exposure to asbestos on her dad’s work clothes has led to her terminal cancer. Diane Cuthbertson, 79, has been diagnosed with mesothelioma – a form of cancer related to asbestos exposure.
Diane could also have been exposed to asbestos in her own working life. The mum-of-three worked as a tailor’s assistant at now defunct Felling firm Jackson’s the Tailors between 1964 and 1968, and then as an office cleaner at the Blaydon Brickworks between 1971 and 1972.
While she never set foot in the Blaydon Brickworks factory itself, her dad Ralph was a worker there during the 1960s and she fears she may have been exposed to asbestos dust on his work clothes in her family home.
She has also considered the possibility that asbestos may have been present on the overalls of workers passing through during the day. Earlier, at the tailoring firm, she believes asbestos could have been part of the steam presses she worked in close proximity to.
Diane has three children, sons Carl and David and daughter, Lisa. She began experiencing breathlessness and fatigue in April last year, and was diagnosed with cancer in August. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy to slow the disease’s progress.
Diane Cuthbertson pictured on her wedding day with her dad Ralph(Image: Handout / Irwin Mitchell)
Diane said: “The past few months have turned my life upside down. When I started experiencing symptoms, I never expected to be told I had terminal cancer. Since my diagnosis I’m not as active and outgoing as I was and I have to rely more on my family.
“While I’m trying to remain positive and spend as much time with my family as possible, trying to come to terms my diagnosis and what it means is incredibly difficult. Before my diagnosis I’d not heard of mesothelioma but the more I’ve researched and read about it, the more I know just how horrible it is.
“I know nothing can turn the clock back and undo what’s happened but the least I feel I deserve is answers regarding how I was exposed to asbestos. If anyone with information could come forward it would be great to hear from them and it would mean so much to me.”
Emma Bell, an expert asbestos-related disease lawyer at the firm Irwin Mitchell is representing Diane. She said: “Diane’s diagnosis is yet another reminder of the terrible legacy asbestos has created. Her case highlights the long shadow asbestos casts, with her illness surfacing decades after Diane’s exposure is believed to have occurred.
“Understandably Diane and her family are devastated by her diagnosis and what it may mean for the future. While nothing will make up for what they’re going through, we’re determined to at least provide them with the answers they deserve. If anyone with information about working conditions at these employers could come forward, it could provide vital to our investigations.”
Anyone with information about the working conditions at Jackson The Tailor or Blaydon Brickworks is asked to contact Jasmine Heaton at Irwin Mitchell on 0191 434 0797 or email jasmine.heaton@irwinmitchell.com
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