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Her diagnosis is devastating news for her three young children.
By Alexandra Blogier — Written on Mar 30, 2023
In a heartbreaking turn of events for one single mother, Louise Hayward, 48, is trying to decide how to break the news to her three children that she’s dying.
The single mom was given a year to live after a colorectal cancer diagnosis in 2020 that has since spread to her liver and lungs. Hayward has been receiving chemotherapy and radiation since doctors discovered a 7-inch tumor in her bowels, yet she was told in November 2022 that further treatment was no longer viable.
The Bristol native initially held off seeing a doctor because of the pandemic, but eventually, the pain grew to be too much for her to manage.
As a single mom with months left to live, Hayward is desperately trying to raise money for her kids to inherit.
She’s raised 15,545 pounds of her 16,000-pound goal. Hayward is seeking donations for her children, and to fix up her house so her sister can stay with her kids after she dies. She hopes that the money will ease some of the distress of her passing.
Per the New York Post, Hayward spoke South West News Service in February sharing her concerns for her children’s future after she’s gone.
“It’s so unfair on them. I just think, ‘Why did they have to be born into this life?’”
According to the organization Bowel Cancer UK, colorectal cancer is the fourth most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it's the third most common form of cancer, as noted by the American Cancer Society.
Hayward also wondered, 'How do I tell them they’re going to lose their mum at such a young age?'
As child development and behavior specialist Betsy Brown Braun says, “It’s really important that you use real words when you talk to your kids about death.” Yet there’s no way to gently break the news to your children that you’re leaving them behind.
In Hayward’s own words, she explains, “I have an amazing teenager who's 19 who has just started his mechanics apprenticeship. I have a wonderful 9-year-old daughter who has some special needs and I have my little boy Louie who’s 7 and he has additional needs also. As you can imagine, the thought of leaving my kids is heartbreaking.”
Hayward states that "their dad isn’t allowed near them, as he put me through 8 years of domestic abuse which took me two years to recover from.”
“Then, bang, I’m told I have cancer and my kids are going to be basically orphans.” Hayward said, “I don’t know how to explain the devastation I feel.”
She stated that while her oldest son knows about her diagnosis, her youngest two children do not yet know about her terminal cancer. “My whole life I’ve wanted kids and I had them later in life… and now I’m being ripped away from them. I just want them to have to struggle less.”
While Hayward can never be replaced as a parent once she dies, her sister, Rachel, will care for the children once she does. Hopefully, Hayward's online fundraising campaign for her children's future offers them some relief while they cope with the loss of their mother.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.