Mother's search for answers after asbestos-related cancer diagnosis at 50

Suzanne Kerr, now 51, and her legal team are investigating whether she was exposed to the substance while at primary and high school in her home town of Chester, while studying in Lancaster or while working at hospitals in Crewe and North Wales as an adult.

Suzanne spent her childhood in Chester and went to Belgrave Primary School in the late 1970s before attending Queens Park High School in Handbridge in the 1980s. 

After completing school, Suzanne moved to Lancaster in 1993 when she was aged 18. She studied occupational therapy at St Martin’s College, located on the site of the former Bowerham Barracks. 

Suzanne’s legal team believe it is possible she may have been exposed at the college, which is now a University of Cumbria campus, due to the site’s former use as an army barracks until 1959. Her legal team say barracks in use throughout the 1900s often contained asbestos.  

Suzanne returned to Cheshire and took up a position at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, where she worked on the medical, surgical and psychiatric wards between 1996 and 1998. 

Suzanne and her legal team are also investigating whether she may have been exposed while working at the hospital. 

Suzanne then went on to work in occupational therapy roles at three hospitals in North Wales throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

From 1998 to 1999, Suzanne worked at Meadowslea Hospital in Penyffordd and Dobshill Hospital in Buckley, both of which have now been demolished. 

Suzanne also worked at Wrexham Maelor Hospital from 1999 to 2002, which she recalls as being one of the oldest hospitals she worked in. She remembers working in outbuildings which were in visible states of decay. 

In 2012, Suzanne moved to Perth, Australia, where she currently lives and has two teenage children. 

After experiencing symptoms including stomach pains and shivering in 2024, Suzanne was diagnosed with mesothelioma in February 2025, aged 50.  

After receiving her diagnosis, Suzanne instructed Kevin Johnson, a partner from the asbestos team at law firm Leigh Day to help investigate her case. 

Suzanne and her legal team are now looking for information about the conditions and possible presence of asbestos at the following sites and timespans:  

• Belgrave Primary School, Chester (1970s-1980s)
• Queens Park High School, Chester (1980s)
• St Martin’s College, Lancaster (1993-1996)
• Leighton Hospital, Crewe (1996-1998)
• Meadowslea Hospital, Penyffordd (1998-1999)
• Dobshill Hospital, Buckley (1998-1999) 
• Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham (1999-2002) 

Leigh Day partner Kevin Johnson, who represents Suzanne, said: 

“Mesothelioma is a terrible, incurable disease, and Suzanne's diagnosis at the age of 50 has come as a devastating shock to her and her family. We are now trying to establish when and where she may have been exposed to asbestos throughout her life. Any information could be of vital importance as they search for answers. Please get in touch if you believe you can recall something which might be of help.”