“In September 2025, I was told I had mesothelioma.
My children told me to go and see the doctors because I was struggling with my breathing and couldn’t stop coughing.
Originally, I was diagnosed with COPD, and it took a couple of months to determine I also had mesothelioma. I had an X-ray, and after a week they called me for another one and then a CT scan. I had thought to myself during this that it was probably cancer, so I had already started to accept it.
The consultant sat me down and started explaining things and I asked, ‘Do I have cancer?’ and she told me ‘Yes’.”
The trial was the best Christmas present I could have hoped for
The blood drained from me at first. I felt shocked, of course, but almost straight away I went into practical mode: right, let’s deal with it. My thoughts were just ‘ok where do we go from here?’
Unfortunately, surgery wasn’t an option, and neither chemotherapy nor standard radiotherapy would be suitable because the cancer was too near my heart. But four or five weeks after my diagnosis we started speaking about a new trial using proton beam therapy. I said yes immediately, and I was accepted onto the trial a few days before Christmas. It was the best Christmas present I could have hoped for.
I'm not as active, but I'm still able to do the things I enjoy
I joined the trial in February 2026. My wife and I stayed in London for 6 weeks while I took part because I was in the hospital every day receiving the proton beam therapy. I felt reassured from the start of the trial and throughout. Everyone was phenomenal and so supportive.
There were some small side effects, but these were all explained to me, and the staff helped me through it with care. Since the trial, I have been able to keep living life how I want to. Not as active as I was, but I can still go fishing and do the country sports that I enjoy, I’m just slower! I need to have fluid drained from around my lungs every other day, but a nurse comes to my home to help with this, so it doesn’t bother me too much. I’d rather do this and still be alive.”
This trial could bring new hope for mesothelioma
The trial, funded by Asthma + Lung UK, is the first of its kind to investigate proton beam therapy as a potential treatment for mesothelioma. Dr Crispin Hiley, who is leading the project, says, “We want to not only help people to live longer, but to live better. Through this trial, we hope to show that this approach can significantly improve survival and quality of life for patients. If successful, it could fundamentally change how mesothelioma is treated in the UK.” Dr Hiley tells us more about his pioneering research in his blog.
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