A mum-of-seven is planning Christmas in October for herself and her family after doctors told her she only had two weeks to live.
Helen Robinson, from Merseyside, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Having fought off the disease, doctors then found out the cancer had unfortunately spread to her lungs.
Last week, the 46-year-old was moved to St John’s Hospice, where she is receiving palliative care. Now, her husband Stephen and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to cover funeral costs and also so the family can enjoy an early Christmas together.
Stephen, 49, and Helen have seven children altogether, four of which are grown-up, while the youngest are aged seven, 10 and 13. Writing on the funding page, Stephen said he is ‘trying to raise some funds to help the kids to have a special Christmas with [their] mum one last time and trying to raise funds to cover her funeral’.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Stephen said:
Helen has been in the hospice for just a week, but she’s gone downhill quickly. The news has just been devastating… we’ve been together since school days, married more than 30 years.
Helen has brought the kids up so well, and she’s the kind of person who would go out her way to help someone.
Helen works with a lot of charities, and was pivotal in Merseyside’s Trauma Teddies campaign, which has seen cuddly toys placed in police armed response units to give to children at the scene of a crime.
Stephen added:
I’ve cried many times as we have been together since we were young teens she is the love of my life and just don’t no what I’m going to do. [sic]
I’m trying my best to save what pennies I have to give Helen and are little girls to have a happy Christmas one more time with there mummy I want them to at least smile on the special day because at the moment they cry everyday and it’s heartbreaking. [sic]
Stephen is preparing to put up Christmas decorations in Helen’s room at the hospice, while the family are also planning to celebrate Helen’s life at Tranmere Rovers’ Prenton Park stadium on November 1.
If you’d like to donate, you can visit the family’s GoFundMe page here.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00 (Monday – Friday, 9am – 8pm)
Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.