Dennis Hawkey

Cancer Type: Mesothelioma

I was exposed to asbestos when I started working in heavy industry. From this exposure, I had gone onto develop mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an aggressive and incurable form of lung cancer. I was diagnosed later in life and back when I was an apprentice, there wasn’t same level of awareness amongst workers as there is now.

Now that I am retired, lots of the things I had looked forward to doing have been taken away from me because of the impact of my illness. Things like my hobbies and physical activity that I had planned to do have now changed because of mesothelioma.

I want workers to use the knowledge that we now have around workplace risks and to know they have the power to do something with that. There are several things you can do to protect yourself, including using the right work safe practices when working with asbestos, or any other workplace hazard. I also think it is really important for workers to speak up if they think a work safe practice is unsafe.  

If you notice any changes in your body, see your doctor.

For more information visit Workplace Cancer.