“I was not that aware of the damage that asbestos could do at that time, it was only later in life.”
Malcolm Ledgar started off life in humble beginnings. He was born at home on a council estate in Macclesfield, the youngest of three children. His family didn’t have a cot for him as a baby so he had a bed in the top drawer!
After a “poor education”, in his own words, he started work at 15 years old in the building industry, before going on to run several successful businesses himself in later years.
During his time at John Young & Company builders, he successfully completed his apprenticeship. Like many who worked in the construction industry in the 1970s and 80s, Malcolm wasn’t aware of the potential dangers of asbestos exposure. At the time, Malcolm believes that there “wasn’t much known about safety” on-site, with “little personal protection” as they were “working with asbestos all the time”.
Later, Malcolm moved on with his career with jobs as a joiner and a mechanic, “bettering myself as I’ve gone on”. He ended up in fleet management, running a number of successful businesses.
Regular X-ray checks
Malcolm moved to Nottingham in 2009 and married his wife, Nicola in 2012. Prior to moving to Nottingham, Malcolm had a chest and lung X-ray every year after hearing of a colleague’s death from asbestosis, which caused him to be wary of his disease risk.
However, after the move, he fell out of the system until he organised a new X-ray check and was wrongly diagnosed with cancer after his first one. Despite this scare, he went on with his life until he noticed a little ache under his ribs and that he was starting to get a bit breathless.
Malcolm went to see his GP and was sent for another X-ray in the same week. The X-ray consultant asked Malcolm to take a CT scan as well. Less than a week later, Malcolm received a call to say that they were ‘99.9% sure’ of mesothelioma, although they needed further biopsies to confirm.
As it was his daughter’s wedding that week, Malcolm and Nicola bravely kept the news to themselves initially.
Following his diagnosis, Malcom urges anyone working in the building trade in the 70s and 80s to listen to their own bodies and book an X-ray if something does not feel right.
“If you feel any aches or you’ve taken in dust particles, ask for a check-up and say you feel something is wrong,” he encourages.
Planning for holidays and breaks
After his diagnosis, Malcolm sold his properties and businesses to ensure that Nicola, their family and friends could maximise time spent with him.
Malcolm and Nicola still take breaks in Padstow, as they love the sea air and walking on the beach. Despite being “nervous about his health”, Malcolm was determined to continue on a summer cruise that he’d booked for the entire family including the couple’s son, two daughters and five grandchildren. They’re still looking to cruise and are looking forward to planning another, “if healthy enough” later in the year.
Giving back to charities
Malcolm says that he’s a “glass always half full” kind of person, very positive and “always pushing for other people to help them do better”. As such, he’s regularly supported charities to “give a little” back, including the East Cheshire Hospice in his home town of Macclesfield, sponsoring a children’s football team, and donations to the Lincolnshire Bomber Control and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance.
After speaking to cancer nurses at Nottingham City Hospital and a business associate, Malcolm learned more about the work of Mesothelioma UK and EMAST. To support these two deserving charities, Malcolm arranged a charity evening at Woodborough Hall in Nottinghamshire, who offered the venue hire for free.
After setting an initial target of £5,000 (“an amount that we never thought we’d reach”), the evening raised around £6,400 for each of the two charities, including donations from customers, friends and family, as well as a charity auction for a holiday lodge stay.
“We were so glad to be able to give back to these two charities who have been very supportive right through, from day one,” says Malcolm.
Important to remain positive
Malcolm has now finished his courses of chemotherapy and is on steroids. He still eats his three Weetabix for breakfast every morning and since his diagnosis, Weetabix have sent him his own bowl, spoon and boxes with his name on!
Malcolm remains positive and “carries on with life as best as we can”. He takes everything 1-2 weeks at a time, seeing how his health is.
Malcolm concludes: “I can still make plans with family and friends so count myself lucky, in some ways. We have lots of really good friends and family – they’ve been really supportive.
“You need to have the right attitude. Tell yourself that you can do better than this and don’t just accept things. I stand in front of the mirror and chat to myself. I’ll fight for as long as I can and am going to break the rules!”
We are incredibly grateful to Malcolm and to all of our donors. Mesothelioma UK relies on the generosity of supporters to fund vital services, including our dedicated team of specialist nurses. Mesothelioma UK currently funds around 450 hours each week of mesothelioma-specific nursing care within the NHS. Meeting the cost of this care is a daily challenge and supporters like Malcolm help make it possible for this vital support to continue.
