Mesothelioma UK held its annual Ladies’ Lunch at the Marriott Victoria and Albert Hotel in Manchester on International Women’s Day.
The Ladies’ Lunch is a wonderful event where guests can meet other patients, family members, healthcare professionals, support groups and lawyers who specialise in mesothelioma cases.
This year, Mary Mulhall and Anna Burns of the Asbestos team were in attendance.
Anna is based at our Manchester office and said:
“Ladies’ Lunch is such an important event on the calendar as it’s not only an extremely informative day, it also has such a positive energy about it, empowering women working within research and treatment of mesothelioma as well as the patients who attend.”
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the internal organs, typically the lungs, and is almost exclusively linked to asbestos exposure. There is currently no cure for mesothelioma and whilst immunotherapy and chemotherapy can be offered, sadly life expectancy is often limited to 12-18 months.
During the event, the former Radio 4 presenter Carolyn Quinn spoke about Mesothelioma UK’s ‘Don’t let the dust settle’ campaign, where the Government is being asked for a central register of all asbestos in public buildings, as it is estimated that 1.5million of our buildings still contain asbestos, potentially risking the lives of future generations.
Dr Bethany Taylor of the Mesothelioma UK Research Centre explained the importance of the Patient and Public Involvement panel. The panel consists of patients, carers and health professionals, and greatly assists Bethany’s research with the aim of improving service provision and care delivery.
We all celebrated the lives of women with mesothelioma and paid tribute in particular to Mavis Nye, who lived with mesothelioma for 14 years, pioneering the term ‘mesowarrior’ and worked tirelessly to raise awareness of this illness. It was a lovely opportunity for us all to share memories of Mavis and raise a glass to such an inspiring lady. Mary Mulhall is chair of the Mavis Nye Foundation.
We also heard from individuals living with mesothelioma, sharing their own personal experiences. It is deeply humbling to listen to an individual share their experience of this disease and to witness their family and friends support them in voicing it so publicly. The message from Michelle Spencer couldn’t have been more poignant, to look for positivity in all our lives, show love to all around us and be grateful for every day.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day was ‘Inspire Inclusion’. The Ladies’ Lunch was successful in highlighting that when women are inspired and included, a sense of belonging and empowerment is created, which was evident in everyone who gave their time to attend the event and raise awareness of mesothelioma.
We are proud to support Mesothelioma UK and are thankful to everyone involved in organising such an inclusive and inspiring day.
