A mother of one experienced some pain in the last weeks of her second pregnancy, but she thought it was because she was in the third trimester.
When Suraya Jenkins was still in pain in the weeks after giving birth, she thought it was due to the after-effects of her C-section.
But it was much more serious than that, as tests revealed she had stage four cancer in both lungs, her brain and her bones.
Her son Wren was just five weeks old when Mrs Jenkins, 36, received the shocking and life-changing news in early July.
Mrs Jenkins, a former travel agent who most recently worked in early childhood education, and her partner Shannon also have a son, Reef, who is two and a half years old.
Her cousin Jemah Schmidt has a GoFundMe page to raise money to help the family from the northern New South Wales city of Armidale through this devastating time.
“The symptoms of the cancer came on quite quickly. There weren’t many warning signs before she went for testing,” Ms Schmidt, 35, told Daily Mail Australia.
‘All the other symptoms, such as the shortness of breath, the pain and the lethargy that came with it, were masked by the pregnancy.’
A heavily pregnant Surya Jenkins is pictured with her partner Shannon and their son Reef
The family was pictured shortly after baby Wren was born, but before Mrs Jenkins’ cancer diagnosis
Mrs. Schmidt is a cousin and about the same age. She has known Mrs. Jenkins all her life, but their bond is deeper than that.
“We’ve definitely had a relationship where we’ve been like sisters our whole lives, so we share a close friendship,” she said.
Mrs Schmidt said her niece is “adapting to the treatments and the different ways her body responds to them” and is getting a lot of help.
“Shannon has been an incredible support. He is doing absolutely everything he can to keep Suraya afloat and provide for his family and he is there in every way he can,” she said.
“Her parents have been incredibly supportive, and Shannon’s parents have been incredibly supportive. They’ve been absolutely available and have supported Shannon and Suraya through all of this, and they’ve been playing with the kids and doing the housework.”
She added that ‘Reef is still getting used to the fact that she has a brother or sister, and that is always difficult for a two-year-old to understand.’
“And he’s getting help and support from his extended family to cope with it.”
Suraya Jenkins is pictured with her two-and-a-half-year-old son Reef and baby boy Wren
Baby Wren, of course, has no idea of his mother’s struggle, but because she is undergoing chemotherapy and immunotherapy, she cannot breastfeed.
This is why a second GoFundMe was set up to provide Wren with donor breast milk. Ms Schmidt said this was ‘really important to (the family) so that the baby gets the best nutrition possible’.
The fundraiser she has set up is intended for medical bills and travel expenses for doctor visits at the Armadale, Tamworth and Coffs Harbour hospitals, household expenses, supplements, recovery programs and mobility aids.
But the other, set up by Armidale lactation consultant Melanie Kelly, is purely for providing breast milk.
“She was very quick to offer her support and it was great to arrange for us to get milk from Mothers Milk Bank, a charity in Brisbane,” Schmidt said.
Breastfeeding mothers donate surplus milk to the milk bank before the milk is freeze-dried and then transported to Armidale.
Even though it is a charity and the milk is donated, it still costs $850 a week because of the processes it goes through and the distance it has to travel.
Mrs Schmidt said everyone is hopeful for the future.
‘Suraya is a very optimistic person and she has so much to live for. So she’s going to fight this all the way.
I believe she will come out of this in good health.
Mrs Jenkins is unable to breastfeed her baby Wren (pictured) due to her cancer treatments
Mrs Jenkins is pictured with her partner Shannon and their children Reef and Wren
“The shock has had a huge impact on everyone in Suraya’s family. We all know she has what it takes to get through this and we are doing everything we can to support her.”
Mrs Jenkins thanked everyone who donated to the fundraiser.
“Shannon and I are so touched and honored by the incredible contributions and support we have received from the community and beyond.
“We will be eternally grateful to the people who helped and supported us during this difficult time.”