Mother with rare cancer calls for urgent action to remove asbestos

by · Mail Online

A mother with a rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos said yesterday it was 'atrocious' that the substance remains in schools and hospitals.

Emily-Jane Scandrett, 41, has pleural mesothelioma, an incurable cancer most commonly found in men over the age of 75.

The mother-of-two is now undergoing immunotherapy every three weeks to slow the spread of the disease and prolong her lifespan.

She was pregnant with her second child when she started to experience a 'paralysing pain' in her chest, but despite testing her condition went undiagnosed for 17 months.

Nine months after the birth of her second son she was told she had incurable cancer.

Emily-Jane Scandrett (pictured), 41, has pleural mesothelioma, an incurable cancer most commonly found in men over the age of 75
The mother-of-two is now undergoing immunotherapy every three weeks to slow the spread of the disease and prolong her lifespan
Mrs Scandrett, from Tamworth, told the Mail: 'I'm living with this diagnosis, but my way of dealing with it is just to get on with it and live my life.'
The mother is calling for action to remove the substance remains in schools and hospitals (stock photo)

Mrs Scandrett, from Tamworth, previously worked in offices for a logistics and shipping firm and does not know when she was exposed to asbestos, and has asked her former employers and her old schools for asbestos reports.

She said: 'It's atrocious that there is asbestos in our schools, hospitals, offices, even in our homes and people still know so little about it.

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'When I was diagnosed I had never heard of mesothelioma. I'd heard of asbestos, but I don't know where or when I was exposed to it.

'There is so much more that needs to be done to raise awareness of the risks of asbestos, and to eradicate it from buildings.'

Mrs Scandrett has chosen to write publicly about her diagnosis and treatment on her Facebook page, and has campaigned and fundraised on behalf of two charities, Mesothelioma UK and Asbestos Support Central England.

In one hard-hitting update, she wrote: 'Mesothelioma is a rare cancer. Everyone reading this post and their families have been exposed to the same risks of breathing in or ingesting asbestos fibres as I have been - some will already have mesothelioma in their lungs without knowing it yet!!'

She told the Mail: 'I'm living with this diagnosis, but my way of dealing with it is just to get on with it and live my life.'