Kallangur mother Belinda Rahe faces terminal cancer diagnosis

A Kallangur mother had one week of joy after the birth of her son before intense abdominal pain led to news that turned her family’s lives upside down.

Kallangur mum Belinda Rahe who has been diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in her pancreas, pictured at home with husband Wayne and children Henry 2, Savannah 12, Genevieve 9, Charlotte 19, grandson Theodore and George 9 months. Theodore. Picture Lachie Millard

A week after the birth of her son, a Kallangur mother’s joy turned to despair when tests showed her abdominal pain was caused by terminal cancer.

But Belinda Rahe, 40, and her husband Wayne Skelton, 42, decided to turn the terrible news into something joyful and “eloped’’ last Saturday, finally tying the knot after first falling in love in 2018.

And in another ray of sunshine, Ms Rahe’s eldest daughter also recently gave birth, making her a grandmother for the first time.

The UnitingCare Queensland worker, said she saw doctors after she began suffering intense pain following the birth of baby George last year.

She was diagnosed with stage four metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer in November and this week was told she had only three months to live.

Ms Rahe said the diagnosis had rocked her family’s world.

Kallangur mum Belinda Rahe with husband Wayne and children Henry 2, Savannah 12, Genevieve 9, Charlotte 19, grandson Theodore and George 9 months. Theodore. Picture Lachie Millard

“Wayne and I came into each other’s lives when my daughter Charlotte was 13 and Wayne’s daughters Genevieve and Savannah were four and six,” she said.

“We have both worked hard to build relationships with the girls, but no one has worked harder than Wayne trying to win over a 13 year old — lots of Crispy Cremes and Slurpees were consumed in the building of their relationship.

“I love watching their banter and ridiculous jokes,” she said.

Since then the couple has grown into a “beautiful blended family” of eight after the birth of son Henry, now two, and George last year.

They also have children aged 19, 12 and 10.

And the same month Ms Rahe gave birth to George, her eldest daughter Charlotte gave birth to her first baby, Theodore.

Ms Rahe said she initially thought she would be strong enough to fight the illness but recent results from her chemotherapy treatments proved otherwise.

“In January I began four cycles of chemotherapy treatments,’’ she said.

“But after a progress CAT scan we were told I had more than 20 tumours, meaning they had doubled and gotten bigger.

“We were told there was no point keeping up with the treatment.

“I finally had my career and my family and this just feels like everything has been kicked out from under me.’’

Kallangur mum Belinda Rahe who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Pictured at home with husband Wayne. Picture Lachie Millard

Mr Skelton said his wife’s diagnosis had been hard to process.

“It is impossible to understand or explain to someone what we’re going through unless they’ve been through it themselves,” he said.

“The sheer volume of uncertainty is crazy. We are devastated.’’

Ms Rahe said there were other treatments available that might extend her life from three to twelve months.

“There are different types of therapy I will be starting in the coming days to give me more time with my family,” she said.

“I want to keep fighting and would like to see my sons go to school and hopefully I can make it to George’s first birthday.’’

The couple have drawn up a bucket list of 40 things they hope to achieve in the time that remains.

“We’re a very simple family and enjoy being with each other more than anything,” Mr Skelton said.

The bucket list included a cruise around Western Australia, a date night, a Gold Class cinema experience and watching their sons learn to swim.

“I don’t know how long I have left but I do know that I love Wayne, I love our family, the life that we have built and our home,” Ms Rahe said.

A close family friend, Kate Smith, has created a GoFundMe page to support the family.

They were in a desperate financial position as Ms Rahe could no longer work and nor could her husband as he had to look after the family.

“We are desperately trying to secure our home so that our family has some stability in such an unstable situation,’’ Ms Rahe said.

“We need help, without it this is impossible.’’

If you can donate to Ms Rahe’s fundraiser, please click here.