Mark Smith, then aged 36, was still coming to terms with his diagnosis of mesothelioma when he spoke to Good Health about it in December. He had no idea then that he had just weeks to live.

Tragically, Mark, a transport manager, died on January 30 – making him one of the youngest people in the country ever to die from this cancer.

The disease is caused by inhaling asbestos fibres, which affect the mesothelium, the membrane on the outside of the lungs, heart, intestines and abdomen. It is incurable.

But while his loved ones knew this, the suddenness of Mark’s death was a terrible shock.

His widow Hayley should now be running through the last-minute details for the couple’s church wedding, which had been due to take place on May 24 – a day they had spent three years planning.

Instead of walking down the aisle, Hayley will be spending that day alone with their children: Rocco, nine, and Felicity, seven.

The couple did get married, but it was in a hospice on January 18, just 12 days before his death. Too weak to walk, Mark said his vows from a wheelchair.

‘It was overwhelming,’ says Hayley, 34, who helps run the family’s transport business in Bradford.

‘Marrying Mark with the kids beside us and everyone who loved him there to watch was all I ever wanted.

Mark Smith, 36, was a fit and apparently healthy man, running the family’s busy transport company and constantly on the go

Mark tragically died on January 30. He married his wife Hayley in hospice on January 12, saying his vows in a wheelchair

‘I loved Mark so much. I longed to be his wife. But we both knew it was only going to be for a few days and that was utterly heartbreaking.’

In the midst of her grief Hayley is speaking out now in support of The Daily Mail’s Asbestos: Britain’s Hidden Killer campaign, in the hope of sparing other families similar heartbreak.

The campaign is calling for the Government to introduce a phased removal of asbestos from public buildings. 

The UK has the highest mesothelioma death rate in the world – more than 5,000 people die annually from asbestos-related diseases.

These include people like Mark who had no reason to suspect they might have inhaled the deadly fibres.

‘Mark was so young and never knowingly worked with asbestos,’ says Hayley. ‘If it could happen to him, it could happen to anybody. Lawyers are now going through his entire school and work history to find when and where he came in contact with asbestos. It could have been as simple as a Bunsen burner mat in a science class.’

An otherwise fit and apparently healthy man, running the family’s busy transport company with his dad, Mark was constantly on the go. 

In his spare time he coached Rocco’s rugby team, worked out at the gym and raised hundreds of pounds taking part in cycle rides for cancer charities (his mother, Kathryn, died of breast cancer 15 years ago, aged 44).

More than 5,000 people die annually from asbestos-related diseases, including people like Mark who had no reason to suspect they might have inhaled the deadly fibres

Asbestos can come from something as simple as a Bunsen burner mat in a science class at school

But then, last August, Mark seemed to be losing weight. 

‘Mark had always been stocky with rugby player’s legs,’ Hayley remembers fondly. ‘But I noticed his muscles looked more defined and he seemed a lot slimmer.

‘We put it down to an improved diet – we were both trying to eat fewer takeaways and more home-cooked meals. But despite exercising more, which you’d think would make him hungry, Mark seemed to be eating less. 

‘Then he started complaining of stomach pains. We thought he must have pulled a muscle or had problems with his hernia.’  He’d been operated on for this in 2013 and 2022.

Hayley recalls: ‘Then, on August 28, we went out to our favourite restaurant to celebrate Felicity’s birthday. Mark ordered a mixed grill – his favourite.

‘But instead of tucking in as usual, he left half of it untouched, saying he was full. It was so out of character. We knew then something was wrong.’

Mark was so worried he saw his doctor the next day. Stool and blood tests were ordered to rule out conditions such as Crohn’s disease, which affects the gut.

His GP also arranged for a scan, but before that could happen, Mark started complaining of excruciating stomach pains and his doctor told him to go straight to A&E. Mark was admitted and given a CT scan.

‘It was the first day of the new term and I had taken the kids to school,’ says Hayley. ‘So Mark was alone when the consultant told him the scan showed he had cancer in his stomach. My heart breaks for him. 

‘He tried to be so brave for my sake. Mark was a total pragmatist with a can-do attitude, but when I went to see him that evening, it was clear he was devastated.’

Hayley was with Mark when, at the end of September, a consultant broke the news that biopsies had revealed he had peritoneal mesothelioma – mesothelioma in the lining of his stomach, related to asbestos.

‘It was a massive shock,’ says Hayley. ‘We’d never even heard of mesothelioma and Mark didn’t believe he had ever been near any asbestos.

‘We were told right from the start it was aggressive and incurable. But we were also told he was a good candidate for immunotherapy, which has proved successful at stopping the cancer growing.’

Although one doctor did suggest Mark might only have 18 months to live, Hayley says other medics reassured him that, because he was so young and fit, he could expect to live for many years. 

‘We were told about people still alive after 15 years,’ says Hayley.

‘They may have been trying to be kind or, perhaps, were honestly misguided. But I’m very angry we didn’t have the full picture.

‘We’d have made memories with the kids. We’d have taken them on a foreign holiday and on local outings to cinemas and theme parks. And – of course – we’d have got married.

‘I’d been quietly planning the wedding ever since Mark proposed in 2016, and the kids were wildly excited. Felicity had tried on 40 different bridesmaid’s dresses. But I’d have changed every plan in a heartbeat if we’d known the truth.

‘However, when I asked staff treating Mark whether we should bring the wedding forward, they told me there was no need. We honestly believed he would see the children grow up.’

Mark’s dying wish was to marry Hayley. Hospice staff rolled into action, decorating a room and arranging a celebratory buffet for the couple’s 50 guests, pictured on the day with their children Rocco, nine, and Felicity, seven

While Mark tolerated his first immunotherapy infusion in November, he had a rare but potentially life-threatening allergic reaction to an iron infusion he was given on December 23 ahead of more immunotherapy (essentially to build up his red blood cells). 

After this, hospital staff proposed he spent some time in a hospice.

‘No one suggested he was dying,’ says Hayley. ‘In fact, we were told it would build up his strength so he could carry on with treatment.’ 

On January 3 Mark was admitted to the Marie Curie hospice in Bradford – the same hospice he’d raised money for a few years earlier.

‘Up until then we’d been shielding the children,’ says Hayley. ‘I explained that Daddy was ill and we needed him to get stronger so that the doctors could help him. It was what we honestly believed.

‘Rocco, who’s normally very inquisitive, quietly processed the information. Felicity burst into tears. She adored her dad and has always been his little princess.’

However, a few days after he was admitted, Hayley was warned Mark was not going to get better. 

‘We were shocked and very angry,’ says Hayley. ‘But we were also grateful to know the truth.’

Mark’s dying wish was to marry Hayley. Hospice staff rolled into action, decorating a room and arranging a celebratory buffet for the couple’s 50 guests.

‘They were magnificent,’ she says. ‘Staff even came in on their days off to help. We had scrimped and saved to have the perfect wedding but we honestly couldn’t have asked for anything better. The day was full of love.’

Hayley wore the wedding dress she had chosen (bought 12 months earlier and altered overnight by the dressmaker), while Mark wore his smartest clothes.

Hayley is speaking up amid her grief in support of the Daily Mail’s Asbestos: Britain’s Hidden Killer campaign, in the hope of sparing other families similar heartbreak

He managed a meal out with Hayley and the children six days later but, over the next few days, he became increasingly tired.

‘I spent every day at the hospice,’ says Hayley. ‘Mark made me promise to keep strong for the children’s sake.

‘Even when he was drifting in and out of consciousness, he remained so strong and loving. The last time he was conscious, he held my hand and tried to sing: “You are my sunshine.”’

Hayley and Mark’s dad, John, were with him when he died on January 30.

‘The children were staying with my mum,’ recalls Hayley.

‘When I walked in the door, Rocco didn’t understand why I had left Mark but Felicity knew instantly. She just looked at me and said: “My dad is dead, isn’t he?” It broke my heart.

‘Mark has been gone for two months now. On the surface the children are doing fine, but nothing and no one can replace Mark. He was such a special man, a wonderful dad. I was so proud to call him my husband.

‘His death was so cruel and unfair. That’s why I’ll do everything I can to stop more people dying of mesothelioma.

‘We have the right to know where this stuff is and what is going to be done about it,’ she says. ‘It’s appalling that more families like ours could end up suffering needlessly because the Government hasn’t taken action.’