Australia’s biggest family Mum of 16 faces illness head-on
Newly diagnosed with rare thyroid cancer, mum-of-16 Jeni Bonell refuses to let it stop her doing what she does best – caring for her kids writes LIZZIE WILSON
It’s visiting hours at a Toowoomba hospital. Down one corridor, there’s no trouble finding the room that belongs to the mum of Australia’s biggest family – there’s a very long queue of little people clutching balloons, handmade cards and flowers from the garden, all waiting patiently to tell Mum about their day.
Following major surgery, Jeni Bonell still manages to put on a brave face, hugging one by one her precious brood of 16 – all the while holding the hand of her beloved husband Ray. “It takes a lot to knock me down – I’m the girl who thrives and prides myself on getting right back up again,” she says. “But when the doctors sat me down and said there was something wrong, I was unprepared for the shock and was very upset. “I was numb, but I thought, ‘Hold on, I can beat this – if I don’t, who’s going to do the washingw and cooking and read the bedtime stories?’stori ” Jeni, 48, bravely tells Woman Woman’s Day in this exclusiveex inter interview. I It was a simple c check-up on a nagging cough that led to Jeni – mum to Jesse, 27, Brooke, 26, C Claire, 24, N Natalie, 21, Karl, 20, Samuel, 19, Cameron, 17, Sabrina, 16, Timothy, 15, Brandon, 12, Eve, 11, Nate, 10, Rachel, eight, Eric, seven, Damian, six, and Katelyn, two – undergoing a range of tests and scans.
“After the birth of our youngest, Katelyn, in 2014 – the only one of 16 that saw me have a caesarean section after I was raced to emergency with complications – I developed this niggle in the neck,” Jeni explains.
“Ray and the kids just thought Mum had a bit of a cold and so we investigated it further, eventually being referred to a specialist.
“The scans picked up on an irregularity and the doctor ordered a biopsy. Those results indicated some problems that would need to be surgically removed. We were lucky to find it early.”
Jeni underwent an operation to remove her thyroid two weeks ago.
“It was a surreal moment – a movie reel of precious family memories flooded my head – and I thought this can’t be me,” she says.
“I knew our strong Christian faith and the infinite truckloads of love from the family would carry me. I said, ‘OK, tell me what I have to do and I’m in.’ I’ve been buoyed by the amount of love and support we’ve received from our community and friends and family. I posted a message to our Facebook supporters to please keep us in prayer as we walk this journey together as a family.
“Hundreds of beautiful inspiring messages came flooding my way – it was overwhelming. I had a little cry reading over some of the most beautiful letters. To know there’s so much love in this world is heartwarming,” she says.
“I went into surgery with the hundreds of prayers with me.”
Now Jeni’s taking some rest and
‘Hundreds of beautiful inspiring messages came flooding my way’
recovery time with her family and trusts her doctor will let her know of any future monitoring needed.
“The doctors and nurses and medical staff are an amazingly selfless and dedicated group,” Jeni says. ‘Without them this journey would have been so much more difficult.”
She adds that the nurses on the ward are amazed at how she runs such an organised home with such a large family.
“The nurses asked me so many questions, like how many loaves of bread do you go through, or litres of milk. How do you get around with so many?
“They laughed when I said we have an old bus – and trust me, it’s military precision!
“When the kids and Ray came to visit, I grilled them about the state of play at home. I thought, ‘Am I going to walk through that door and actually not be able to make it to the kitchen for all the dirty laundry?’ But as always, Ray and the kids ran a tight ship and all was taken care of while the ‘captain’ was away!”
As Jeni walks through this, she’s determined to remain positive and look to the future.
“I’ll always see things half full. Sixteen little lives and my hubby Ray need me, so I’m not going to ever give up.
“I keep saying to them, ‘ You’re stuck with me and I’ll be around for a long time yet – now clean up your bedrooms please!’ ”