Lyn was quite an extraordinary lady. Not only because of the wonderful person she was, but also because she survived for seven and a half years with mesothelioma until her passing very recently.

Her husband of 24 years, Bruce, was her caregiver and supported her on this journey. In his own words, Bruce shares a little about Lyn, how she managed her disease, and what he admires the most about her battle with this terminal cancer.

What I greatly admire the most about Lyn’s battle with this brute of a disease is that she never once complained in public, rarely at home, and always maintained a strong, positive attitude. 

“Lyn was a physiotherapist specialising in Women’s and Children’s Health and worked on both the private and public health systems.  She also made a significant contribution to improving the safety and quality of the health system in WA whilst being a Director of the WA Office Safety and Quality in the Department of Health. 

Above all she was always a kind, considerate, compassionate, independent, intelligent, and warm human being.  She was a connector of people and loved a chat.

Lyn was diagnosed with mesothelioma 7 and half years ago.  She fought it head on with great courage and tenacity whilst maintaining positive attitude always seeking opportunities to enjoy life with family and friends and particularly her grandchildren in Melbourne and would think nothing of crossing the country regularly in between chemotherapy to make that a reality. 

We also used every opportunity of her relative wellness to travel overseas.  She also her displayed her positivity by dressing and presenting herself as a well person.   She was always beautifully presented – indeed, if you did not know of her diagnosis you would say that she was well. To me that was true courage as she could easily let it all go.

I think her positive attitude aided her fight against the disease. She contributed to events at Reflections and saw that as way of giving back.

She was a true warrior. I have the deepest love, respect for her together with a gratitude for the time that I spent with her over the 24 years of our relationship.”

“Well, at least it’s not lung cancer.”

That was Dan’s reaction to this mesothelioma diagnosis in July 2024. That was how little he knew about mesothelioma.

In fact, he had never even heard the word.

We spoke with Dan and Clee, his wife, to find out more about his asbestos exposure, their journey since diagnosis, and what they have found helpful along the way.

Dan, can you tell us how you came to be exposed to asbestos?

It was back in the 1960s and 70s in the UK.

I was in my early 20’s and working as a carpenter in Wolverhampton where I was lining garage additions with Asbestolux.

It was an asbestos insulating board that we used as it was fire resistant and a good insulator. We also used asbestos soffits. They were flat boards we installed in homes, usually in the eaves.

What was the attitude towards asbestos then?

“Nothing. There was no attitude towards it really. It was used everywhere and we didn’t have any idea it was dangerous.

So we didn’t have any safety equipment at all – no gloves or ask or anything. Nobody wore any kind of safety gear back then.”

Clee, what has been your experience?

As Dan said, we never even thought about asbestos being an issue.

 My kids went to school in the UK. Classrooms were built with it. Kids were making dens out of the things they came across – I’m sure many of those things would have contained asbestos.

Teachers and students are being diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases.

Today, it’s still everywhere. Look at the fences between houses – you still see asbestos fences around the older suburbs in Perth.

People generally ignore it and think it’s ok. Which it is if it’s undisturbed. But 30 or 40 years on, it can start to disintegrate.

But, thankfully, the awareness is there now.

Dan, how did you respond to your diagnosis with mesothelioma in July?  

Well, we all became aware of the risks of asbestos some years ago.

I had heard of asbestosis, but I had never heard of mesothelioma.

So, when I got the diagnosis, I didn’t really know what we were dealing with.

My reaction was, “Well, at least it’s not lung cancer.” So it was a bit of a surprise when we found out more about it.

It’s amazing how much ‘mesothelioma’ comes up now. I hear about it a lot now.

The oncologist and Reflections is the support we’ve had. We’ve been grateful for it.

Clee, how did you both find out about Reflections?

When Dan was dealing with prostate cancer, there was a shadow on his lung not investigated beforehand as it wasn’t growing. But after a PET scan, that’s how we knew.

We saw the oncologist – he was very empathetic – and diagnosed Dan was with pleural mesothelioma.

He gave us the Reflections details and we got in touch.

How have you and Dan found Reflections helpful?

Reflections has been an absolute lifesaver. Meeting with someone who has in-depth knowledge of what mesothelioma is and being straight with us about it. Being able to get that information and not being completely in the dark about it helps a huge amount.

Lizz, Reflections’ Support Nurse Coordinator, has explained it in lay terms to us. Having someone we know that we can contact if we have a problem or question, is incredibly helpful.

Reflections have been excellent – their help and information has also helped us explain it to our adult kids.

Yes, we’re very pleased to have their support.