Berwick’s Frank Azzopardi battles with asbestosis. 28100 Picture: Stewart Chambers
By Kelly Yates
BATTLING asbestosis for the past five years, Berwick man Frank Azzopardi said he was blessed to still be alive.
The 81-year-old told the News he was coming to terms with the deadly disease after his brother died from it last week.
Mr Azzopardi, who now has a lung capacity of 54 per cent, said a lung specialist had diagnosed him with the disease.
Asbestosis is described as having a living plant in the lungs which starts growing and clogging up the breathing passages, according to Mr Azzopardi.
“It’s painful and in the end you basically choke to death,” he said.
He said he had worked with asbestos for 42 years.
“I’ve worked in many buildings all over Victoria with asbestos,” he said.
“At the time no one knew how dangerous it was. We never wore protective masks.”
Mr Azzopadri said he had lost 90 per cent of his friends who also worked with asbestos.
“It’s scary, but I just have to accept that there’s nothing anyone can do for me,” he said.
“There’s no cure. But I feel blessed to still be alive today at this age.”
Mr Azzopardi sees a doctor every six months for a check up.
Mr Azzopardi said he enjoyed spending time with his 11 grand children.
“The sad thing is that wives and children can also cop the disease as the man who works with it takes particles of asbestos home on his overalls and the family breathe it in,” he said.
“I once worked with a man who had a wife and two children and all four of them died within a couple of weeks.”
Mr Azzopardi wants to raise awareness about the disease.
“A lot of buildings are still filled with asbestos and people are not aware they are breathing it in,” he said.
“People should either leave it alone or get a specialist to demolish the place.”
