Grateful singer set for mercy op thanks to fundraisers
‘So grateful’ for fundraising as surgery aims to end excruciating pain
APOPULAR singer has spoken of how moved she has been by fundraising efforts to pay for a major operation.
Rachel Spencer, of Rawtenstall, will be undergoing private surgery costing £20,000 next month having been diagnosed with severe endometriosis invading the bowel.
The previously fit 34-year-old has battled ill health since waking up in excruciating pain in February 2020, and with NHS procedures facing a long backlog due to Covid, had been told to expect a further wait of up for two years.
Rachel, who said her mum told her ‘you can’t put a price on health’, contemplated remortgaging her house, but appeals launched by two of her friends have seen “incredibly generous” donations pouring in.
The former Alder Grange student, who recently moved to Manchester but whose family are all from Rawtenstall, discovered the lengthy NHS wait when her previous treatment ended in December, after which she was transferred to the care of St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester.
It follows a heartwrenching last 14 months in which she struggled to get a comprehensive diagnosis of her condition, after first noticing a ‘tummy bump’ which she could not get rid of, and then waking up one night in agony feeling like she had been “stabbed” in the stomach.
She explained: “I woke up in massive pain, struggling to breathe and didn’t know if it was a heart attack, or appendicitis.
“My partner called 111 and they sent an ambulance and I went straight to hospital. I was sent home and they didn’t really know what was happening. In May it happened again and the pain never went away.”
Rachel, who is also grateful for support from family - including partner James Stevens, mum Susan, dad Alan, nan Marjorie and brother Benjamin - said they have opted reluctantly for private treatment because of the “unbelievable” pain which she has had to control with a cocktail of prescription drugs.
“I cannot even describe it,” she said. “There have been days I cannot walk or stand up. Covid has played a massive role in this. Covid needed to be treated, however there are people out there that are suffering with all sorts of things that are still killers.
“Mine is not necessarily a killer, but it leads to osteoporosis and all sorts of complications.”
Rachel, who runs the anti-bullying campaign BeeU and is known for singing at local venues and wedding celebrations under her stage name Sofia Spencer, believes the donations have been helped by her own past fundraising activities.
She said: “I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in without the support of people, the love and the care from people I’ve had from far and wide, people from different communities, some from people I’ve never met before but who have followed my story or knew about the fundraising I do for other people.
“The support has helped me massively in terms of getting through.
“I cannot tell you how moving it’s been. I’ve had lots of cards and anonymous gifts; I’ve had hampers brought to my door.”
Rachel said Acre Mill Baptist Church, where she is due to marry James in August, have also been “extremely kind”, adding that the twice-postponed wedding will serve as a goal to help her recuperate from her operation at the end of May.
She added: “A lot of [the wedding] was already paid for, but we’ve scaled it back and I’m fine with that.
“My health is more important - and the last thing I want to be doing if people have been so kind as to fundraise for me is to starting throwing champagne on tables.”
There are two fundraising pages, but the main gofundme one has raised more than £9,000 from 138 donors. Visit gofundme.com and search for ‘ Help Rachel James Stevens’.