The Hyndman Family

This is Rebecca and Jeff Hyndman, and their brand new baby boy Ben. Two of the nicest people you’d ever hope to meet and the most deserving of their gorgeous new baby.

Little Ben had been a twinkle in the eye of his parents for quite some time and he finally made his appearance about three years after Rebecca and Jeff began trying. Ben arrived into the world healthy and happy on the 28th of November and his proud parents were overjoyed, to say the least.

But this story isn’t about Ben. It’s about his beautiful mummy Rebecca. Or Bex, or Bangs, or Bec, or Bang Bang to many of her friends.

Rebecca didn’t have the easiest pregnancy. She battled intense nausea for the entire nine months and she struggled to eat for most of her pregnancy. Once Ben was born she was looking forward to the nausea subsiding and being able to tuck into her favourite foods (and red wine!) again.

For those ladies who have had a baby, you’ll know that generally the nausea goes away the minute you’ve had your baby, and your appetite comes back with a vengeance when you start breast feeding. But we’ll come back to that in a minute.

About a week after little Ben was born, Rebecca was diagnosed with a blood clot. A complication from carrying a big baby and having a c-section, or so the doctors thought. Despite being told she was going to have to inject herself daily for several weeks to deal with the clot, she smiled and got on with being a tired (but very happy) new mum.

Strangely, during this time, Rebecca’s appetite hadn’t returned. She was still feeling very nauseous and finding it very hard to eat. The immense hunger that normally comes with breast feeding just wasn’t there.

A week after the blood clot, things began to go downhill. Admitted to hospital with a very high temperature and suspected infection in her c-section site, Rebecca was being examined when she, herself, found a lump in her stomach.

She made a comment “it’s not cancer is it?” At first, the doctors were fairly certain the lump was not cancer. Sadly and devastatingly, they were wrong. Within a matter of days, Rebecca had gone from being a blissfully happy new mum, to a new mum looking down the barrel of cancer and chemotherapy.

Unfortunately, Rebecca’s story doesn’t end there. Only a few days later, the blood clot had spread to her lungs creating a very real threat to her life. On top of this, tests had been completed to ascertain more of a diagnosis of her situation and she was told that her cancer was likely a gastric cancer, that it was very aggressive and most likely incurable. They are still waiting on its exact location but with all these nasty GI cancers, life expectancy is measured in months, possibly less if the blood clots in her lungs are not able to dissipated successfully.

And so this family with a four week old baby, are now facing a life without their precious mother and wife, Rebecca. Jeff, a brand new father, is coming to terms with being a single parent and losing the love of his life. Rebecca is dealing with the most shocking news anyone could receive at a time in their lives that should be the most joyful.

True to form, Rebecca is extremely concerned first for her family. She is worried about leaving behind her husband and son without the financial means to allow them time to grieve when she is gone. She also wants them to be able to get on with their lives without having the added burden of financial pressure.

This girl, faced with such a frightening diagnosis and the enormous weight of knowing she is going to be leaving behind many people who love her so much, is still smiling. She is still cracking funnies, she is still the bright, loving soul we all know and adore. There is still fire in her belly.

At a time of the year when most people have more financial pressure, we understand that donating to a stranger is a big ask. But we’re asking. Big time. Please help this beautiful family to support (and eventually mourn) their precious Rebecca without having to worry about finances. Please help give Rebecca the peace of mind that Jeff and Ben will be looked after financially.

From the Hyndman and Gannaway families and the many, many people who are blessed to have Rebecca in their lives, thank you.