Michelle Spencer was diagnosed with mesothelioma, aged 60. Following a successful civil claim against a previous employer, it was confirmed that Michelle was exposed to asbestos during her first ever job.
Aged 15, she joined the Arkwright Mill in her home town of Rochdale, where she was recruited as a telephonist and receptionist.
There was blue lagging in the engine room at the mill which was present for 18 months.
Michelle couldn’t help but see the tragic coincidence of getting exposed to asbestos in Rochdale, also home to Nellie Kershaw, who was the first published account of the disease attributed to occupational asbestos exposure.
Starting off a working life
Michelle met her husband at Arkwright Mill and at 18 years-old, she had her first child. She left the mill and fitted in cleaning work around her children. She and her husband split up a few years later and Michelle moved in with her Mum until she could get a council house.
Michelle then went back to college and retrained as chef whilst working on several other jobs including waitressing and working in a chip shop.
In 1998, she met her second husband, Nigel (who had two boys from a previous marriage). According to Michelle, Nigel is a “very supportive, a wonderful man” and they’ve now been married for 26 years.
Loving work and gaining new qualifications
Michelle was then offered a job at Buckley Hall Prison as a chef in 2001. She was also working as a carer for her mum who had suffered a stroke and had dementia. Buckley Hall was a women’s prison and was “nothing like I expected”, according to Michelle.
During this time, Michelle took a teaching qualification at Bolton University and qualified in one year, all whilst working in the education department at the prison.
Michelle also took Level 2 courses in catering and barista skills, which she used to teach independent/healthy living at Buckley Hall.
“I loved my job and gaining qualifications. It was so nice to see the prisoners gain their own qualifications and change their lives.”
She worked at the prison for 22 years at until her eventual retirement through ill health.
A devastating diagnosis
Michelle developed a dry cough that she couldn’t shift. She visited her GP and they decided to leave it for a couple of weeks in case it was Covid. “People were noticing – I could not stop coughing,” says Michelle.
“I remember a really lovely weekend, shopping, we bought new engagement ring, went to a party with friends on Sunday. However, I woke up in the middle of night feeling awful, like I was coming down with a virus. By the morning, I couldn’t breathe and definitely couldn’t go to work.
“We went to A&E where I got an x-ray and CT scan, and they asked if I’d worked with asbestos. I was admitted to Fairfield Hospital.
“My husband couldn’t visit as it was during Covid and I was told that it could be breast and lung cancer.
“In April, it was our anniversary and as we were still awaiting the results, we went on holiday with friends. My friend’s husband was a health and safety expert and he says that he ‘knew it was mesothelioma and that it was terminal’.
“When the consultant rang with my official mesothelioma diagnosis, he said that ‘60 was young to have it’.”
High standard of treatment and care
“My treatment began at Wythenshawe Hospital where Dr Taylor is amazing and Mesothelioma UK Clinical Nurse Specialist, Mairead Dixon is something else. I cannot fault my care with the NHS,” continues Michelle.
“I’ve undergone chemotherapy and immunotherapy sessions, and contracted a yeast infection and sepsis. I had a really bad cough and cold after the Mesothelioma UK Ladies Lunch day where my talk went down really well, I got a standing ovation!
“However, I got well again after intravenous antibiotics and the tumour has shrunk by a couple of centimetres so we’re really pleased.”
Making a successful civil claim
Arkwright Mill was a cotton spinning mill, built in 1885 by the Arkwright Cotton Spinning Co. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. The mill closed in 1980, was demolished in 2007 and the land redeveloped for housing.
Amongst other evidence, footage still exists on YouTube of people involved in the demolition wearing hazmat suits to protect themselves from asbestos exposure. Michelle and her family worked with solicitors, Irwin Mitchell who “fought tooth and nail” on her case. Having won the civil claim for compensation, Michelle is now eligible for private treatment.
Making good use of compensation
In addition to funding her treatment, Michelle is using the compensation to support her children and stepchildren through courses and training, as well as leaving a lump sum for them, and the rest for Michelle and Nigel to enjoy their lives.
Michelle explains: “I’m enjoying my life, helping my family and it’s really helping me to cope. I’m doing things that I never did before and it’s opened my eyes as to how amazing life is.
“We’ve never put any emphasis on money so following the compensation award, I feel quite privileged and blessed to have had the opportunity to support my family.”
Raising funds and awareness
“I also want to help Mesothelioma UK to raise awareness of the disease. That’s why we’re organising a fundraising event with my daughter-in-law and friends. It’s given me a focus.
“I end up telling everybody about mesothelioma so that they all know the dangers. I don’t want sympathy and am now always looking at how I can enjoy and extend my life,” concludes Michelle.
