Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group raises over £20,000 for Mesothelioma Research

The support group hosted a presentation at the town hall in Manchester on 26 June 2007 to present over £20,000 they had raised on Action Mesothelioma Day 2007 in Manchester. The money was presented to the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund and the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund.

The event was attended by more than 50 people, some of whom had mesothelioma, some of whom were families & spouses of those who had died from mesothelioma, and others worked with mesothelioma sufferers. The message that came through the meeting was that is so important for people to talk to other people in the same situation as them.

Dr Paul Taylor, Consultant Medical Oncologist at Wythenshawe Hospital spoke of the need for more funding of research into mesothelioma and of the battle that mesothelioma patients were facing over withdrawal of funding by the NHS of the chemotherapy drug Alimta.

Kimberley Stubbs, who lost her mother June Hancock to mesothelioma ten years ago this year, was there to receive a cheque for over £10,000 to the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund. She highlighted the fact that mesothelioma is a rare disease and consequently is less often researched compared to more common cancers.

On behalf of the Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group Tony Whitston and Hazel Bowden thanked all those who had raised money to donate to Mesothelioma research, to work towards finding a cure for the disease.

Geraldine Coombs and Nicole Burden from Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester asbestos team were at the meeting.

Kimberley Stubbs and Geraldine Coombs

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