HSE

Jack was diagnosed with mesothelioma in June 2007 and died in March 2010.

Former electrician Jack Rekert knew that his job was putting his health at risk and sadly he was proved right.

Jack still asks the question "why me?" while trying to accept his death sentence. Jack is suffering from mesothelioma - a cancer caused by exposure to deadly asbestos fibres.

Jack is a family man - married for 40 years to his wife Janet with three children and four grandchildren who adore him. Jack hasn't broken the news of his illness to his grandchildren as he fears they are too young to understand it.

Jack worked as a tradesman all his life. He was an electrician who carried out refurbishment jobs for the company he worked for.

Jack knows exactly when he was exposed to the deadly asbestos fibres, which makes the situation he and his family face now harder to accept.

In 1985 Jack worked on a refurbishment project which took three nights to complete. The work involved tearing down ceiling sheets and knocking down walls. Jack recalls that there was dust everywhere. At the time he was concerned and spoke to the builder in charge. He was told that there was no risk and it wasn't asbestos dust as he feared.

However, Jack was not told the truth by his employer. A member of the public contacted the council who closed down the premises. The site was tested and Jack's worst fears were confirmed - he had been exposed to asbestos. He saw his company doctor who told him he hadn't been exposed long enough for there to be any risk. But this was also not true.

Jack remained with the same company and years later worked on another renovation. During the work he noticed the danger signs again - a suspicious dust where they were knocking through materials and tearing down ceiling sheets. They walked off the job, then the Project Manager came in and inspected it and closed the job down.

Although Jack knew the risks of working with asbestos, he wasn't aware he had been exposed until it was too late. He was never offered any training or given protective clothing or masks when working with the hazardous substance. Had Jack not been so alert to the dangers of the dust, others could have been exposed the way he was. Now he is campaigning to make sure the electricians and tradesmen out working today are aware of the dangers of asbestos and know how to protect themselves.

Although Jack was exposed in 1985, he didn't have any warning signs that he had contracted a terminal illness until he was diagnosed in June 2007 - 22 years after he'd had contact with asbestos. This is because asbestos-related diseases can take anything from 15 to 40 years to present themselves.

It was after he was made redundant and started a new job that signs of his illness first began to show. He soon noticed that simple tasks, such as climbing stairs, made him out of breath. He had previously been fit, healthy and active, and put it down to a chest infection.

However, when his condition deteriorated, he went for an emergency x-ray at A&E. He was told at 10pm that night that he was functioning on only one lung, the other lung had more than one litre of fluid in it. The seriousness of his condition did not register with Jack or his wife and two weeks later he went for a full diagnosis.

Jack was told he had mesothelioma - an incurable cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibres.

Jack said: "It was a bolt out the blue. I just could not believe it. I knew I wasn't well but you never think this happen to you. I was devastated, my wife was devastated, and my children were devastated. We still are."

Jack is now on a 21 day chemotherapy cycle and needs to have radiation therapy as he has a suspected secondary tumour on his back.

Jack has a message to tradesmen today: "If you see something you're not sure of - run away. It's not worth the risk. It could cost you your job, but it could also cost you your life. Your life is always more important."

He also has a message for employers: "Be more vigilant. Tradesmen deserve to be kept safe."

Jack and his family know he only has a limited amount of time left but he supports the HSE's Hidden Killer campaign to ensure that tradesmen of today don't have to ask themselves "why me?" in twenty years time.