Time is running out for mesothelioma patient Dave

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A GREENSTEAD man who is slowly dying from asbestos poisoning is fighting for money to fund treatment which might help him live longer.

David Mahoney, 50, says his life has been “destroyed” since he began to feel the effects of the mesothelioma he contracted as a roofer on a Colchester building site in 1976.

Time is running out for mesothelioma patient Dave

The father-of-five has been suffering from the rare form of cancer for four years and believes he now has only months to live.

A High Court judge has ordered the company handling claims against his employer’s insurer to make an interim £50,000 payment, but the company has refused, pending a series of court hearings which could take 18 months or even two years.

The company insists it is not liable because his mesothelioma only became apparent after his employer’s original insurance company folded.

Mr Mahoney, who has 11 grandchildren, says he used to love boxing, weightlifting and playing football.

He added: “I’m destroyed. It’s a horrible disease and once you’ve got it, there’s no turning back.

“The hardest part is missing the grandchildren growing up.

“Until I got this, I didn’t even have a doctor’s record. I used to be able to run ten miles without even thinking about it. Now I have no control over my life any more.”

Mr Mahoney and wife, Angela, were forced to move into a council flat in Scarfe Way, after their own three-bedroom house in nearby Stevens Walk was repossessed when he became too ill to work.

He has worked occasional days for communications firm, CCL UK, on the Whitehall Industrial Estate, in Colchester, and says boss Steve Wakefield has helped him through some tough times.

Mr Mahoney would like the chance to prolong his life by travelling to a hospital in Frankfurt for a course of injections which are not available on the NHS.

They would cost at least £30,000, which he cannot afford without the interim payment.

Mr Mahoney urged other people affected by asbestos to stand up to insurers which refused to pay out. He added: “I want to make other people aware of it.