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CRUELLEST TWIST
My girl had a baby against all odds, now she has to say goodbye to him in a matter of days – his sobs rip my heart apart
Belinda described the heartbreaking moment she had to tell her grandson his mum was terminally ill
AS HER son snuggles under the duvet, ready for a bedtime cuddle, Charlie Ainsworth’s heart breaks.
This should be an ordinary scene, repeated in millions of homes across the country. But Charlie knows her cuddles are numbered, and her time is running out.
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Charlie, 37, defied medical advice to achieve her dream of having a child but will soon have to leave him without a mother after being told she only has days to live.
The mum has battled health problems all her life and was warned by doctors she would never be a mother.
But she went on to have a little boy, Elijah, now seven, whom she adores.
In a cruel twist of fate, single mum Charlie has now been placed on end-of-life care, and her own mum, Belinda, is preparing to bring Elijah up in her memory.
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Mum-of-two Belinda, 59, from Accrington, Lancs, says: “Charlie never let her health issues define her.
“She has always been so positive, she is a fighter.
“She was determined to become a mother, even though the doctors warned it was dangerous.
“She and Elijah have an amazing bond. But now that Charlie is on end-of-life care, I’ve had to tell him that his mummy will soon be a star in the sky.
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“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, and it broke his heart.”
Charlie was perfectly healthy as a young child but aged eight was diagnosed with an under-active thyroid.
Diabetes symptoms and the signs of all types of diabetes
The following year, tests showed she was diabetic.
Belinda says: “Charlie never let it upset her. She learned to inject herself and she followed all the rules.
"She never went on binges or went out drinking. She was a model patient.
“Charlie had always wanted to be a mum, but her doctors warned it could kill her. She got a poodle named Waldo instead, but still, she longed for a baby.”
In 2016, Charlie had a mole removed from her thigh and was later diagnosed with melanoma. Doctors believed they had removed the cancer, and she had the all-clear.
The following year, to her surprise, she fell pregnant.
Belinda says: “Charlie was over the moon; it was what she’d always wanted.
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“But her specialist advised her to have a termination and warned her life was at risk.
“I begged her to think of herself; I knew she wanted a baby, but she was my baby. It was an impossible choice.”
Charlie continued with the pregnancy, but Elijah was delivered at 28 weeks after she swelled up with fluid.
Though Elijah was healthy, Charlie’s kidneys were failing.
I had to tell him that his Mummy will be a bright star in the sky and that he will live with me and we will talk about her every day
Belinda Ainsworth
Belinda says: “Despite her health problems, Charlie was a wonderful mum.
“She was hooked up to dialysis each night at home and she had Elijah in her bed so she could reach him.
“He got so used to cuddling up in bed with his mum that he refused to sleep in his own bed afterwards. They were inseparable.
“As Elijah grew up, she made sure he didn’t miss out. She always did the school run, she took him to football, swimming and MMA.
“We had days out at crazy golf and Blackpool, and we went on holiday to Turkey.”
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CATCHING cancer early gives you the best chance of survival, and a huge part of that is attending regular screenings.
NHS programmes can help diagnose the disease, or your risk of it, and improve the likelihood of successful treatment.
There are three national screening programmes in England: cervical screening, breast screening and bowel screening.
"If you are eligible, please make every effort to have your screening test as they can detect a problem early, before you have any symptoms. ," the NHS says.
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Cervical screening
This is offered in England to people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 and is routinely carried out every three years up to the age of 49, and every five from 50 to 64.
Depending on the result, people may be recalled earlier.
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Those that test positive are then analysed further.
Breast screening
Breast screenings, which involve an X-ray test called a mammogram that can spot cancers when they are too small to see or feel, are usually offered to women aged 50 to 71 in England.
But the NHS is trialling them for women under 50 if they have a high risk of developing breast cancer.
Bowel screening
This test detects whether patients are showing any early signs of cancer.
It is available to everyone aged 50 to 74, with at-home kits automatically sent out every two years, so make sure your GP has your correct address.
The test involves providing a small poo sample to be checked for tiny amounts of blood, which could be caused by cancer.
If you're 75 or over, you can ask for a kit every two years by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60.
Source: NHS
In April 2021 Charlie underwent a double kidney and pancreas transplant.
Though at first it was successful, her kidney later failed. Two years later, the cancer returned in her hip and lungs.
And last year, doctors found four malignant tumours in her brain.
As the cancer continued to spread, Charlie’s condition deteriorated.
Belinda says: “With each bombshell, she’d say: ‘Oh it’s just a blip, I can beat this.’
"She still continued taking Elijah to football and swimming.
He sobbed his heart out. He’s just seven years old and it feels very cruel
Belinda Ainsworth
“He took it all his stride too; her strength rubbed off on him.”
But last week, Charlie lost all feeling in her left side and doctors have now stopped her treatment. She's been placed on end-of-life care.
Belinda says: “It is devastating. We are living one day to the next. Charlie wanted to be the one to tell Elijah but when it came to it, she wasn’t well enough.
“Instead, I had to tell him that his Mummy will be a bright star in the sky and that he will live with me and we will talk about her every day.
“He sobbed his heart out. He’s just seven years old and it feels very cruel.
“For now, we are making the most of each precious moment we have left. Charlie is still focused on being a mother.
“Each day after school, Elijah snuggles in her bed and reads to her.
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“She’s been through so much and yet she is still fighting; she is living proof that there is nothing more powerful than a mother’s love.”
You can donate to Belinda's fundraiser for Charlie's final farewell .
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