'I have no idea how this could have happened' - Grandmother diagnosed with deadly asbestos-linked cancer

Valerie Brown, 63, said it was a "total shock" to be told she had mesothelioma after doctors found two pints of fluid on her lungs, leaving her searching for answers about how she was exposed.

Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer affecting the lining of the lungs, primarily caused by asbestos exposure.

But the grandmother-of-three, who worked as a cook and cleaner, says she has no idea where she could have come into contact.

She said: "I have never smoked, so it was a shock when I was told I had lung cancer.

"But when they said I had two pints of fluid on my lungs and it was mesothelioma, it was a total shock - I have never worked anywhere where I could think there would have been asbestos.

"I really have no idea how this could have happened."

Valerie, who lives with husband Ian and has three adult children, was diagnosed in February last year and was initially warned she may have just 12 months to live.

But she has defied expectations and is continuing to live independently, despite undergoing gruelling treatment including two courses of immunotherapy and six rounds of chemotherapy.

Her condition has also worsened her diabetes, which has progressed from type two to type one following the diagnosis.

Valerie previously worked in the kitchen at the former Middlewood Hospital in Sheffield in the 1970s and later as a college cleaner in the early 2000s.

The buildings are now of interest as she tries to trace the source of her exposure.

Despite looking back over her working life, she still cannot pinpoint when she may have come into contact with asbestos.

She said: "I have always just got on with things in my life, when challenges come, me and my husband just get on with it. That's what I'm doing now, just trying to get on with my life as best I can.

"I still pick the grandchildren up from school round the corner, I like to go for a walk - but of course it's a concern what the future may hold."

Now Valerie is appealing for anyone with information to come forward to help her understand how she developed the aggressive cancer.

She said: "It was such a shock because I just had no idea. I would really like to know, and if anyone has any information that could help me understand this, I'd be really grateful."

She is being supported by industrial disease specialists at Slater and Gordon, who say cases like Valerie's are becoming more common.

Christopher Briggs, a solicitor acting on her behalf, said: "Valerie's work as a cook and cleaner are not ordinarily roles you would expect to be associated with mesothelioma - but unfortunately we are seeing a significant rise in the number of people being unknowingly exposed to asbestos through working in poorly maintained buildings, where they have been put at great risk while going about their daily jobs.

"Valerie is valiantly getting on with her life as best she can, but of course the questions of 'when, why and how' are very important to her in understanding how she has contracted this cruel disease.

"Any assistance would be greatly appreciated by Valerie and her family, and we will do everything we can to support her in finding answers."