U.K. Man Suffering from Mesothelioma Calls for Further Research
In June of this year, Steve Gillingham was living in China, an active cycler and avid player of soccer and Rugby. However, shortly after a diagnosis of mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure, Gillingham has returned to the U.K. to be with his children. Gillingham also plans to remarry his ex-wife, with whom he has been estranged for 15 years.
While certainly his children are happy to see the reconciliation of their parents, Gillingham’s prognosis is grim. Doctors have indicated that he likely has less than 18 months to live. Even as mesothelioma is an aggressive and deadly cancer, there is still little research as it is quite rare. This is something Gillingham would like to see changed.
“They’ve known asbestos is nasty stuff for 100 years,” he explained, “the least they could do now is try to help the people suffering.”
Pushes for funding not only in the U.K., but also the United States, have been greeted with tepid response by legislators and the scientific community, who believe that other more prominent cancers should receive the resources necessary for new treatments and curative research.
It’s likely hard to tell Gillingham and his family this though. Mesothelioma may not manifest within the body until many years after an asbestos exposure (in most cases 3-5 decades). This would seem to indicate that perhaps the full extent of the asbestos problem is not yet known and further research is necessary.