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A grandmother who is battling terminal cancer believes her heartbreaking diagnosis may have been caused by hugging her brother too much. Marie Pickup, 68, had a routine chest X-ray for former smokers last year, which shockingly revealed significant changes in her abdomen. ‌

Doctors found that she was suffering from peritoneal mesothelioma - a type of cancer that affects the abdominal lining and is often linked to asbestos exposure. Marie remembers warmly greeting her brother when he returned home from his job as a joiner at Blackburn Corporation - now known as Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council - between 1980-1985. ‌

The mum-of-three and gran-of-two suspects that his work clothes, laden with dust , might have exposed her to asbestos during their daily embraces

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