'Mum was just not ready to die' - devastated daughter of Sheffield asbestos victim is determined to raise awareness of silent killer

Mary Lill, from Beighton, was diagnosed in January 2015 with mesothelioma – a cancer of the lungs associated with exposure to the lethal building material – and she died in June the following year, aged 68.

It is now 20 years since the use of all forms of asbestos were banned in the UK, yet it continues to kill more than 5,000 people a year in this country.

Mary’s daughter Vicky Russon has chosen to speak out on the anniversary of the ban to highlight the hazard it continues to pose all these years on.

She works within the asbestos-related diseases team at Sheffield-based law firm Irwin Mitchell but never imagined her mum would become one of the victims supported by that team.

Mary believed she was exposed to the lethal mineral while working on the production line for a company called Rothervale in 1973-74.

The Woodhouse Mill factory on Retford Road specialised in fire door manufacture, using timber, plywood, glue and asbestos sheeting to give fire protection. Once part of John Carr Doors and Rugby Joinery, the company is currently owned by Jeld-Wen.

Mary had to handle asbestos sheets on a daily basis and recalled clouds of dust filling the air but said no special precautions were taken and asbestos was treated no differently to timber or plywood.

It was not until October 2014 that she began developing the symptoms of mesothelioma, with breathlessness and a pain in her left side forcing her to return home early from a family holiday.

Initially prescribed antibiotics for a chest infection, by that New Year’s Eve she was in hospital having three litres of fluid drained from her lungs – and that was the first time doctors asked if she had ever worked with asbestos.

Mary instructed Irwin Mitchell and her claim was quickly concluded before she passed away.

Recounting the terrible moment on January 8, 2015 that she and her brother accompanied her mum to hospital for the results of a biopsy on the fluid, Vicky said: “We sat in a room with the doctor and he told us it was not the result they hoped for. He said it was bad news. He said it was mesothelioma.

“He explained it was a type of cancer caused by asbestos. He said it cannot be cured. We could hardly take in what the doctor was saying. Mum was just not ready to die. She looked at Jason and me and that just made her more upset seeing our pain.”

A collapse at home in February led to a course of radiotherapy treatment, but the disease progressed rapidly and the hardest part was telling Mary’s grandchildren.

“Mum and I told my two children, aged six and eight at the time, about her diagnosis in January together. They had seen us crying and upset and they knew something was wrong. The lung cancer nurse advised us to be honest with them. It was heart-breaking to tell them the truth from Nana.

“Mum and I were very close. She was always there for us and we all miss her so much. Working at Irwin Mitchell meant I could source the help Mum needed, but my years of working with asbestos victims meant none of us were under any illusions about what a diagnosis of mesothelioma might mean. Even so nothing prepares you for the impact on family and friends.

“You really do need support when things get tough. Pursuing the legal case kept Mum going and having worked in Irwin Mitchell’s asbestos team I knew I could trust their considerable expertise in pursuing the claim quickly and sensitively.

“Mum worked in a nursing home and helped so many people in her life and she would be proud if her story could help others facing the same struggle.”

Adrian Budgen, partner and asbestos related disease specialist at Irwin Mitchell, said: “All cases of asbestos related disease are tragic, but when the family of a colleague is affected, it really brings it home to you that any one of us has the potential to be touched by the terrible legacy of asbestos.

“Over 5,000 people die every year from asbestos related diseases in the UK, but 20 years on from the ban, it is still an under-reported issue, given the impact it has on thousands of families every year.

“While nothing can bring Mary back, and cancers like mesothelioma currently have no cure, Mary’s family hope that her story will raise awareness to help diagnose the disease early and promote research so as to open up more treatment options for sufferers and give them a better quality of life.”