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Novum Law’s specialist asbestos disease legal team were pleased to attend Mesothelioma UK’s annual Patient and Carer Day, which took place on 6 October 2022 in Nottingham.
Senior Associate Brigit Nolan from Novum Law’s Plymouth team and Senior Litigation Executive Alan Jolliffe from our Southampton team had the pleasure of going to the event and the awards ceremony in the evening.
It was a wonderful opportunity for people with mesothelioma plus those who support and care for them to come together, giving everyone the chance to discuss and share experiences with others who are going through a very similar experience. Attendees were also able to attend talks on the medical research and work that is being undertaken to better understand mesothelioma and provide more effective treatment.
New treatments for mesothelioma
In the morning Brigit and Alan attended fascinating talks from medical experts about treatments for mesothelioma. This included a talk by Dr Alistair Greystoke about immunotherapy, which is now available for mesothelioma patients on the NHS for the first time, as well as helpful insights about how to access non-NHS treatments which might also help target mesothelioma.
Leading oncologist Professor Dean Fennell spoke about clinical trials that are being undertaken to better understand and better treat mesothelioma patients, and Dr Crispin Hiley provided insight into how a specialist treatment called targeted proton beam therapy might help patients.
There was also a very helpful update about the National Peritoneal Mesothelioma Service based in Basingstoke, which aims to support people with mesothelioma affecting their stomach lining.
The second part of the day was focused on patient health and wellbeing, including information about managing symptoms.
Dietician Laura Millar provided a particularly interesting insight into the ways a patient’s diet can help them fight mesothelioma, and there was also very helpful information about controlling symptoms from Mesothelioma UK’s clinical nurse specialists and occupational therapist Amy Chadwick.
On a more personal level there were inspirational and moving stories shared by mesothelioma patients. This included Ron Snaith, who continues to run the Great North Run following his diagnosis. The final talk of the day was from the amazing Helen Bone, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma at age 38. She strives to raise awareness of asbestos and its dangers using her viral blog “It is what it is” and after her talk there Brigit and Alan reported that there wasn’t a dry eye in the room!
Mesothelioma UK annual awards night
After a few hours to process a fascinating and moving day of talks, Alan and Brigit attended the Awards Night. This was held to celebrate the many individuals and families that have raised money for Mesothelioma UK’s work supporting sufferers and their families, raising awareness of this terrible disease and helping new research to pave the way for a better future. Among the many awards presented there was a well-deserved special contribution award for the Mavis Nye Foundation. Mavis herself is known as the ‘Meso Warrior’, as despite being diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2009 she works tirelessly to raise awareness and funds to improve treatment and care for other patients.
Brigit says:
“It was a true honour to be part of such a wonderful day. Alan and I found it so encouraging to hear that these medical professionals have such a passion for a better understanding of mesothelioma, and that they use this to provide better treatment leading to overall better survival rates for people affected by this devastating cancer.
It was great to catch up with patients, carers and professionals alike. I was personally very pleased to see attendees from SWASAG (the South West Asbestos Support Awareness Group). At Novum Law we work closely with SWASAG and their work supporting mesothelioma patients and their families in the South West. For Patient and Carer Day they took more than 30 people from Devon and Cornwall group to the event by coach, paid for their accommodation and gave them a chance to have a couple of days away.
“It was lovely to see them and we hope that they, along with everyone else, had as informative and enjoyable a time as Alan and I did. We’re already looking forward to Patient and Carer Day next year!”
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma, Novum Law may be able to help you on a ‘No Win, No Fee’ basis. Call us on 0800 884 0777, email us at info@novumlaw.com or complete our online form for a free, no-obligation chat.
To find out more about Mesothelioma UK and their important work, you can visit their website here.
