In June, Peter Mann passed away of mesothelioma at the age of 69. This rare cancer of the protective lining of the body’s major organs and cavities is caused exclusively by prolonged exposure to asbestos. It is believed that Mann was exposed to the toxic mineral when he was working as an apprentice plumber in the mid-1950’s. Asbestos was commonly used in pipe lagging and variety of other construction materials.
Malignant mesothelioma takes between 20 and 50 years to develop, and often doesn’t become symptomatic until it reaches stage three or four, making the cancer very difficult to diagnose and treat in time. Mann was diagnosed with asbestos cancer, as the diseases is alternately known, in January 2011. His wife, Hazel, said that Mann “kept fighting until the end” despite the “horrendous” pain.
“My mother had lung cancer and it was bad, but she was in nothing like the pain my husband was,” explained Hazel.
In honor of Mann, hazel and her family spent the afternoon of Mesothelioma Awareness Day raising money for Mesothelioma UK with a collection bucket, as well as handing out leaflets about the disease in their hometown of Worthing, England. They raised £350.
“The number of people with mesothelioma will soon reach its peak, and it affects around 2,000 people each year (in the UK),” informed Hazel. “Although there is less asbestos around, people are still coming into contact with it, and people need to realize you don’t have to work with asbestos to get mesothelioma. There are people who clean the clothes of a partner who get it.”
This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 26th, 2011 at 1:35 pm and is filed under News.
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