Heartbreak mum given
‘MY LIFE HAS BEEN ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER’
Reporter SHE was crowned the Chronicle’s Mum of the Year for being the backbone to her family as she pulled her husband and twins through life-threatening illnesses.
But just when light was at the end of the tunnel, Jenny Thirlaway was given the shocking news she has terminal bowel cancer.
Inspirational Jenny is sharing her experience with hundreds of others after setting up a blog to talk about her day to day life after being given 12 months to live.
And she is determined to make happy memories for husband Scott and eight-year-old twins Jack and Molly so they can look back and think of her as fun.
“My life has been one thing after another and you can’t change that but I’m sure there are worse people off than me,” said Jenny, of Wallsend, North Tyneside.
“I’ve had a great life, I’ve always done what I’ve had to do and I’ve always had good fun.
“If I can bring up the children to be kind, laugh and have fun, then that will shape their future. It will determine how they look on death as they grow up when I’m not here.”
Jenny, 45, won our Mum of Year competition in 2012. She has spent the last 10 years of her life fighting to keep her family’s spirits high after a string of tragedies.
Following the stress of IVF and a high risk pregnancy, Jack and Molly were born prematurely at 34 weeks in 2008. Jack was whisked off to the special care unit in Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary with breathing problems. However, when Jack recovered, at four-days-old twin Molly started fitting and doctors discovered she had meningitis. She was admitted to neonatal intensive care, ventilated and Jenny and Scott prepared for the worst and the days that followed were heartbreaking. Somehow she defied all medical odds and fought her way through, but as a result of the infection Molly has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism. Once Molly was discharged back home from hospital Jenny and Scott hoped life would give them a break and have some normality and time to enjoy their babies. But just weeks after they were reunited, Scott, who had been facing health problems himself throughout Jenny’s pregnancy, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. It was devastating news and the future was uncertain. But over the past eight years and several relapses, numerous cycles of chemo-