Asbestos victim defies doctors ahead of service

Andrew Mathieson
FOR every breath Les Newman exhales, Christmas seems a long way away for the asbestos sufferer.
But unwrapping presents under the tree and cutting the turkey with the family is actually closer than ever. Doctors diagnosed Les with deadly mesothelioma in June last year.
Their prognosis was that the Corio man would not make it to the next Christmas, let alone this year.
“I’d love to be able to see another one – I will tell you that now,” an anguished Les admits.
The same doctors have now given up predicting when his time will be up but it’s cold comfort for Les.
He faces a certain death sentence after developing the cancer through exposure to asbestos at work.
“I’m starting to go downhill – I know that much, mate,” he says.
“I just can’t get much better.”
Les can now feel his health deteriorate every day.
Painkillers have become just a part of his daily routine. He gave up chemotherapy and other medical treatments when all was lost.
“What I’ve got is very painful – it hurts inside,” Les says.
“If I’m on my hands and knees, I struggle to get up.”
Even putting on socks and tying up shoes is an ordeal. Les calls it a “major operation”, often taking the best part of 20 minutes.
A good day has Les walking down the street to fetch the paper.
“How long that lasts I don’t know?” he says.
“There’s not a lot I can do, let’s be honest.”
Asbestos Information and Support Services (AISS) executive officer James Gunderson said tougher occupational health and safety guidelines would stop repeats of Les’s plight in other workplaces.
However, removal of asbestos from homes still remained a danger and was on the rise amid a boom in renovations. Mr Gunderson said any house built before 1990 still had a 60 to 70 per cent chance of containing asbestos.
“It’s usually in the bathrooms, kitchens, laundries,” he said.
Mr Gunderson said up to 20 asbestos sufferers were on the AISS books in the Geelong region.
Mr Gunderson was considering running a Geelong asbestos support group for sufferers and partners.
He said AISS would host an information and memorial service at Geelong Wesley Uniting Church on November 25.