Rebecca doesn’t know how long she’s got left to live but is determined to make the most of life.
When Rebecca Hind felt unwell following a Christmas work meal she just thought she had food poisoning. Several of her other colleagues were also sick leading her to believe this was nothing to worry about.
But two months later, long after everyone else had recovered, Rebecca was still ill. Earlier that year, the now-39 year old had also noticed unusual weight gain around her stomach but simply continued exercising to try to lose it.
With no sign that her symptoms would get better she sought help from her GP, following up with multiple visits. Rebecca, from Eden Valley, Cumbria, said: “After our Christmas 2018 work meal, a few of us were unwell – but whilst others recovered quickly, I remained ill eight weeks later.
“The GP had given me several rounds of antibiotics but nothing worked.” She was eventually referred to hospital where a CT scan revealed the cancerous masses in her abdomen.
These were later revealed to be pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) a rare type of cancer that killed actress Audrey Hepburn. Rebecca learned it had spread widely to other organs by a jelly-like cancerous liquid called mucin.
Rebecca’s stomach swelling had been the characteristic “jelly belly’” associated with PMP as the mucin gathered in her abdomen. Mucin had fused to the surface of lots of her organs to form hard masses, limiting her organs’ ability to function.
“By the time they found it, I was pretty much riddled with it,” Rebecca said. In April 2019, she had a surgery at The Christie Hospital, Manchester to remove her appendix and umbilicus, lesser omentum and six litres of mucin.
When tests later showed the cancer was a high-grade and more aggressive form of PMP, which was present on lots of organs, Rebecca tried eight rounds of chemo, but it didn’t shrink the cancer enough.
She travelled to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital in November 2019, where specialists performed an extreme and lengthy procedure – dubbed “the mother of all surgeries” – in a bid to remove all the abnormal tissue.
During the 12-hour surgery, they removed more of her organs, including her greater omentum, gall bladder, spleen, large bowel, womb, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, and rectum.
They also removed a portion of her stomach and small bowel, and the surface layer of her liver and both sides of her diaphragm.
Rebecca said: “I went through a surgical menopause aged 35 – it was an assault on the body. As part of the surgery I had a heated liquid form of chemotherapy – known as HIPEC – to target any remaining cancer cells and they formed an ileostomy.
“I was in hospital recovering on and off for months after.” Rebecca has to stick to a restricted diet taking a electrolyte fluid solution with food supplements.
She takes a daily cocktail of 50 to 60 tablets, including codeine, Imodium and hormone replacement therapy. Then, in the summer of 2020, Rebecca learned that the cancer hadn’t been eradicated.
She participated in a clinical trial in 2022 aimed to target the genetic mutation associated with the cancer, but it made her too unwell. After then, treatment options had run out and the condition was labelled incurable.
Rebecca, a former outdoor instructor, is now trying to experience as much as she can, as well as raising awareness of PMP. She said: “I’m trying to do things to have a ‘normal’ life – but with modifications.
“I turn 40 this year and I want to say yes to everything – I’ve been surfing, in a hot air balloon and dog sledding so far.
“My latest challenge is Chris Hoy’s Tour de 4 90km cycle to raise money for Pseudomyxoma Survivor, a specific PMP charity, the patron of which is Audrey Hepburn’s son.
“The message I want to get across is when you have a stoma or an incurable diagnosis, things will be incredibly difficult. My daily life is a rollercoaster – but with the right attitude, you can still achieve a lot. And more importantly, enjoy whatever time you have.”
To donate to Rebecca’s fundraiser visit gofundme.com/f/BexH-Tourde4.
