'Terminal asbestos cancer diagnosis hard to accept'

Father and grandfather Chris Debnam, 68, hopes he can find out when he was exposed to asbestos

A grandfather says he "didn't react at all" after being told he had a terminal cancer linked to asbestos exposure and a maximum of three years left to live.

Chris Debnam, 68, from Sproughton, near Ipswich, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in September, after experiencing bouts of breathlessness while on holiday with his wife Karen.

The once fit and healthy cyclist was initially treated for asthma before doctors found one of his lungs had collapsed before draining drain seven litres of fluid from it.

Mr Debnam is now looking to track down his former colleagues after questioning if he came into contact with asbestos while working at a now-defunct Ipswich printing company ABT Plastic Designs.

Chris Debnam was diagnosed with mesothelioma - a terminal cancer linked to asbestos exposure

Mr Debnam, who has two children, retired in 2019 having dedicated 31 years of his life to the firm, having joined as a 16-year-old after leaving Tower Ramparts School in Ipswich town centre in 1972.

During his time at the company, which was based on Sandyhill Lane in Greenwich in east Ipswich, he would print designs on to paper, glass and plastic and use dye cutters and a guillotine.

There were also times where he would carry out repairs on the building's roof, which he believes may have contained asbestos, the use of which was banned in the UK in 1999.

"It's confusing because I don't know where it came from and I've not knowingly been in any environment that had asbestos, so where did I get it from?" he asked.

"The only contact with asbestos I would have had, if it was asbestos, would have been when repairing that roof, but there were no clouds of dust or anything.

"I can't turn the clock back but if anyone with information could come forward it would be great to hear from them and could help in getting answers."

About 2,400 men and women die each year from mesothelioma in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK

Mr Debnam, who now has a chest drain to remove liquid from his lungs, used to bike to work every day and cycle about 100 miles (160km) every weekend.

His passion for cycling, however, was curtailed after a wheezy chest worsened, leaving him no longer able to walk upstairs or talk without becoming out of breath.

He was diagnosed with mesothelioma – which claims the lives of 2,400 men and women each year – and told he had between one and three years to live.

"It all went downhill from there really, but I didn't react at all, I was just like 'yeah, OK', but that's how I am," he said.

"I finished my chemotherapy treatment last Tuesday and I've had no side effects so I'm OK physically, but I couldn't run a marathon.

"When I'm walking around in the cold [it's more difficult to breathe] but it doesn't hold me back - I just have to take a couple of deep breathes and then I am OK again.

"It's been hard for me and my family to accept, but I am very determined. I'm not just going to sit around."

Expert disease lawyer, Natalia Rushworth-White, is supporting Mr Debnam and his family

Mr Debnam is being supported in his search for answers by Irwin Mitchell's asbestos-related disease lawyer, Natalia Rushworth-White.

"His diagnosis came as a huge shock to him and his family, who are struggling to come to terms with what the future might hold," she said.

"Asbestos is still seen as something from the past, which it is, but we're still seeing far too many families impacted by the legacy it has left behind. It is pretty shocking."

Ms Rushworth-White can been contacted here.