A teacher had a sudden massive seizure before being diagnosed with grade three brain cancer.
Mum-of-two Rachael Hewitt was rushed to hospital following the medical emergency where she was given a CT scan which showed a shadow on her brain.
The 47-year-old, from Southampton, underwent a craniotomy to remove the tumour, and then six weeks of intensive radiotherapy.
She is now set to complete nine months of chemotherapy.
Rachael and her husband are both secondary school teachers.
Her pay has been halved due to time taken off for treatment, which means the couple can no longer afford childcare for their two-year-old son Felix.
Rachael's sister Eloise said she has been left very sick by the treatment and the whole ordeal has had a "massive impact" on her family, which also includes daughter Eva, 15.
Eloise, from Patchway in Bristol, told BristolLive: “She had a seizure in the night and was blue-lighted to hospital. A CT scan showed a shadow on her brain.
“When it happened, it was so out of the blue, she was healthy before."
She went on to say: “She literally has been having all the side effects. She has felt hideously sick and last week she came out in a rash and was rushed to hospital.”
After being treated, Rachael spent the day in hospital before being sent home.
The gruelling treatment has left the mum battling to cope with her illness while looking after the toddler.
Eloise said as their family lives in Bristol, they aren’t close enough to help with childcare.
She said: “The only alternative is that Rachael has to currently look after Felix at home while going through chemotherapy.”
She added that she had read a fundraising story about a young man who lost his leg after a motorbike accident.
She said: “That gave me the idea to start a fundraiser for Rachael so she can get childcare five days a week for Felix until her treatment has finished.
“We would also like to organise a family holiday for her so she has something to look forward to,” said Eloise.
The fundraiser has already exceeded its target, and already stands at more than £3,000.
Eloise said that Rachael is “the hostess with the mostest” as she loved organising family get-togethers.
She added: “She also loves her job as a teacher and wants to get back as soon as possible, fingers crossed as it’s all been so gruelling.”
You can donate to the GoFundMe here.
