Rotary visits Mesothelioma charity

A party of Bradgate Rotary volunteers were invited to have a breakfast meeting at the Mountsorrel home of the national charity Mesothelioma UK, where they learned about the disease and the efforts of the small charity to care for those who are living with it and to fund research to beat it.

The charity’s new CEO, Dr Hannah Moody, and fundraiser Rachel Hunter explained that Mesothelioma (sometimes referred to as Asbestosis) is a rare cancer with proven links to asbestos, a fire-resistant and insulating substance used in many public buildings erected in the post-war period until it was banned in 1999.

Dr Moody used mannequin “Tommy Torso” to demonstrate the location of the four kinds of mesothelioma cancer, which fills the spaces between organs, leading to breathlessness and pain.

A programme to eradicate asbestos from public buildings is likely to take four decades. But Rachel told the visitors that in October 2024 a 20-year-old man had died from the disease. Exactly how the man had been in contact with asbestos is not known. Dr Moody revealed that even the slightest exposure can, 30 or 40 years later, result in a diagnosis of ‘Meso’ which has no proven cure.

Rachel talked about the charity’s fundraising efforts and the work undertaken by its 19 staff, many of whom are based in the North East of England where asbestos was widely used in the shipbuilding industry.

The charity part funds 31 mesothelioma specialist nurses who work not only with patients and their families, but also supporting families after the death – very often as little as a year after diagnosis – of the patient.

Rachel said she hopes to increase local and national knowledge of the charity. She cited the case of someone while shopping at Morrisons recently had only just discovered that the charity was only a few hundred yards away.

A discussion of how Bradgate Rotary might get involved to help spread the word and to support the charity’s work followed with Rachel offering ideas.

The Rotary volunteers went away expressing gratitude to Hannah and Rachel for hosting the meeting and with much to think about.