Glasgow joiner pays tribute to Action on Asbestos

“Now, I can’t walk up it without having to stop two or three times,” he says.

He pauses. “Five years ago, I was running four-minute miles. Now, I can barely climb a flight of stairs.”

Last year, David, now 76 and living in Hyndland, was diagnosed with pleural plaque, small areas of thickened tissue in the lung lining which typically develop 20 years or more after prolonged asbestos exposure.

To support Action on Asbestos, the Glasgow charity helping him cope with his diagnosis, David is sharing his story.

Action on Asbestos, which has been providing free practical and emotional support to those affected by mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos- and work-related diseases and injuries for more than 35 years, stands to benefit from a £16,000 cash pot donated by the owners of The Glasgow Times.

“Last year I had pains in my back, and I was feeling a bit breathless,” explains David. “My GP referred me to the hospital for scans and they told me I had pleural plaques. I had no idea what that meant, I had never heard of it.

“The consultant asked me what I did before I retired, and when I said I had been a joiner, he referred me to Action on Asbestos.”

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David adds: “I worked on many projects that could have exposed me to asbestos. I was ripping out old shops, pulling down ceilings when you had no idea what was above.

“It was a huge shock. But Action on Asbestos have been very helpful, I’m really grateful. I can’t overestimate the good they do.

"They give lots of practical advice and Phyllis Craig and the team bring in health experts from the hospitals, who are really great and chat to us about our conditions."

David grew up in Dennistoun, and never intended to be a joiner.

David Campbell. Pic: Colin Mearns (Image: Newsquest)

“I wanted to be an architect, and I was working for the city of Glasgow’s architecture department, but I hated sitting in the office,” he says, with a smile. “I couldn’t stand it, so I was sent to work outside on the sites, and that’s how I got into joinery.

“I loved the job, and I have never regretted doing it for a second.”

David still does “bits and pieces” of joinery work when he can, but adds: “I can’t do much any more – especially if there is lifting or carrying involved,” he says. “That’s very frustrating to me.

“My breathing is restricted and I know it’s going to get worse.

“Some of the group members who have the same thing, were diagnosed about a year before me so I see what is happening to them, and that helps prepare me for what is coming.

“With pleural plaques you can get years, sometimes you just get months. I’m fit and healthy otherwise so I hope I’ll get the extended time.”

Work took David from Glasgow to Manchester, where he and his wife Ann – whom he met at the dancing in Glasgow - and daughters, Kirsty and Angela, lived for almost 30 years.

After Ann sadly died from cancer in 1997, David returned to Glasgow, and he now has two grandsons, Martin 30, and Paul, 32, and a great-granddaughter, Cailin, who is nine.

Phyllis Craig of Action on Asbestos (Image: Newsquest)

He was a keen runner, training several times a week and often acting as a pacemaker for other athletes. “I loved it, it was always just a hobby, but it helped me keep fit,” he says.

“There is nothing they can do for pleural plaques, so I just have to stay as healthy as I can.”

He adds: “I like to get out walking, get some air into my lungs – sitting at home is not good for me. My breathing is restricted, and it’s going to get worse, I know that. I have had another scan, and they are watching a particular growth – the consultant told me if it keeps increasing, he’ll have to give me a time.”

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David pauses. “I’m taking that particular piece of news in my stride,” he says. “I have always been quite fit, I ran for years, I don’t smoke, drink only occasionally. I’ve travelled a lot too, I’ve seen a lot of the world – Africa, the US, Europe – I got to see what I wanted to see and I’m happy about that.”

He adds, with a smile: “And I’m not finished yet. I’m holding my own.”

For more information call the free Action on Asbestos helpline 0800 089 1717.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

People power will determine how a fantastic £16,000 cash pot is spent in Glasgow.

The Glasgow Times is giving local charities the chance to share in the money and it is down to our readers to decide.

Ten Scottish charities – Action on Asbestos, Galashiels Foodbank, East Lothian Roots and Fruits, Greenock Medical Aid Society, Fermanagh Brightstarz, Fairway Fife, RSABI, Cancer Support Scotland, Sense Scotland Touchbase Ayrshire and Finding Your Feet – will each get a proportion of the money.

To determine how the £16,000 is allocated, readers are invited to collect tokens which will appear in our newspapers every day during November until the closing date.

You can then post your tokens to Glasgow Times Readers’ Choice Cash for Charity Nominations, 125 Fullarton Drive, Glasgow G32 8FG. You can also hand them in at the Action on Asbestos head office at 245 High Street, Glasgow, G4 0QR.

Tokens must arrive by the closing date of Sunday, November 20.

Each token collected will then be used to allocate cash to the nominated charity – so if your favourite good cause collects 50% of all tokens collected, it will receive £8000.

Newsquest terms and conditions apply where relevant to the grants process. More information, and the first lot of tokens, are included in today’s newspaper – so get collecting and support your favourite charity.