I'm battling terminal cancer I fear came from asbestos on my dad’s work clothes
A Gateshead mum diagnosed with cancer is appealing for information amid fears she may have been exposed to deadly asbestos dust brought home on her dad’s work clothes.
Diane Cuthbertson has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a terminal form of cancer usually of the lining of the lung linked to asbestos exposure – often decades previously.
Following the 79-year-old’s diagnosis, Diane instructed specialist asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate whether her disease could be linked to her work history.
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The mum-of-three has now joined her legal team in appealing to her former colleagues for information. They are particularly keen to hear from anyone with information about Jackson Associated Manufacturers Ltd – known as Jackson The Tailors - in Felling, and Blaydon Brickworks.
Emma Bell, the expert asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Diane, said: “Diane’s diagnosis is yet another reminder of the terrible legacy asbestos has created. Her case highlights the long shadow asbestos casts, with her illness surfacing decades after Diane’s exposure is believed to have occurred.
“Understandably Diane and her family are devastated by her diagnosis and what it may mean for the future. While nothing will make up for what they’re going through, we’re determined to at least provide them with the answers they deserve.
“If anyone with information about working conditions at these employers could come forward, it could provide vital to our investigations.”
Diane worked as a tailor’s assistant at the now defunct Jackson The Tailors between 1964 and 1968. Her role involved working in close proximity to steam presses, which she suspects may have contained asbestos.
Between 1971 and 1972, Diane took up a part-time evening position as an office cleaner at the former National Coal Board’s Blaydon Brickworks.
While she never entered the factory, Diane remembered that the office was frequently dusty and believed that asbestos dust might have been brought in on the overalls of workers passing through during the day.
Diane’s late dad, Ralph Cuthbertson, also worked at the Blaydon Brickworks in the 1960s and Diane believes that she may have been exposed to asbestos dust brought home on his work clothes when she lived in the family home.
Diane, who has two sons, Carl and David aged 57 and 53, and a daughter, Lisa, 50, began experiencing breathlessness and fatigue in April 2025. Following tests, she was diagnosed with mesothelioma in August. Diane is undergoing chemotherapy every three weeks in a bid to slow the growth of her cancer.
Diane said: “The past few months have turned my life upside down. When I started experiencing symptoms, I never expected to be told I had terminal cancer. Since my diagnosis I’m not as active and outgoing as I was and I have to rely more on my family.
“While I’m trying to remain positive and spend as much time with my family as possible, trying to come to terms my diagnosis and what it means is incredibly difficult. Before my diagnosis I’d not heard of mesothelioma but the more I’ve researched and read about it, the more I know just how horrible it is.
“I know nothing can turn the clock back and undo what’s happened but the least I feel I deserve is answers regarding how I was exposed to asbestos. If anyone with information could come forward it would be great to hear from them and it would mean so much to me”.
Anyone with information about the working conditions at Jackson The Tailor or Blaydon Brickworks is asked to contact Jasmine Heaton at Irwin Mitchell.