'We noticed our dad had a dry cough - weeks later he was gone'

Two devastated sons are appealing for help in finding out how their dad caught the disease that killed him.

David Watson sadly died from mesothelioma at the age of 85, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

Having been “fit and healthy” since the age of 15, David worked in construction until he began to show symptoms of mesothelioma in early 2023.

Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, which affects the lining of the lung and chest wall.

Its symptoms usually only become apparent decades after a person has unwittingly contracted the deadly disease.

Only weeks after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, grandad-of-five David, from Liverpool, sadly passed away aged 85 in May 2023.

To add to the family’s devastation, his wife Brenda, who has dementia and was cared for by her husband, needed to move into a care home.

His sons Kevin and Graham now want answers as to where their dad was exposed to the asbestos which ultimately led to his death – and for any former colleagues who may be able to help to come forward.

“My dad was fit and healthy, he was still up the ladders cleaning windows at 85, but his decline through mesothelioma left us devastated. It happened so quickly, in just a few weeks,” Kevin said.

“When he was told the news of his condition, he couldn’t take it in. His first reaction was ‘This can’t happen, I’ve got a wife at home who I need to care for’.

“He did all he could, it was probably already too much for him at his age, but he was a very proud man. The mesothelioma changed everything so quickly.

“It has been such a shock and he would have hated leaving mum on her own. We want to know where dad was exposed to asbestos and would be so grateful for anyone’s support with this – he