Woman, 39, had 13 organs removed after food poisoning at work party triggered incurable ‘jelly belly' diagnosis

The Sun

23-05-2025

REBECCA Hind was forced to have thirteen organs removed after food poisoning from a work party lead to her being diagnosed with a rare and incurably 'jelly belly' cancer.
The 39-year-old contracted food poisoning at a work Christmas meal in 2018, but continued suffering with sickness for weeks after her colleagues recovered.
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After several visits to her GP and the hospital months on, a scan eventually showed masses in her abdomen.
Biopsies revealed a one-in-a-million cancer - the same type that claimed the life of Audrey Hepburn - which had fused to the surface of several abdominal organs, forming solid tumours and stopping them from working.
Rebecca's cancer was found to be advanced, and she underwent two surgeries to remove thirteen organs that had been taken over by cancer.
She was left her needing to take up to 60 tablets a day for her body to continue functioning.
But months afterwards, Rebecca got the devastating news that the surgery hadn't eradicated the cancer, and she was told it was incurable.
She doesn't know how long she has left to live but is doing her best to enjoy what time she has left.
Fitness fanatic Rebecca, a former outdoor education instructor, had began noticing unusual weight gain around her stomach in 2018 - but she simply continued exercising to try to lose it.
Then following a work Christmas meal in December 2018, Rebecca and several colleagues were left sick with food poisoning.
While they all soon recovered, she was still unwell two months on.
Rebecca was eventually referred to Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, where a CT scan showed cancerous masses in her abdomen.
These were later revealed to be pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) - and Rebecca learned it had spread widely to other organs by a jelly-like cancerous liquid called mucin.
Rebecca, from Eden Valley, Cumbria said: "After our Christmas 2018 work meal, a few of us were unwell - but whilst others recovered quickly, I remained ill eight weeks later.
"The GP had given me several rounds of antibiotics but nothing worked.
"But after a CT scan and biopsies, I learned I had PMP - and that it was widespread.
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"They surgically removed some diseased organs, and administered eight rounds of chemotherapy, but some disease remained.
"Then I had a second surgery so I was dealing with the life-changing effects of the surgery, and then I learned the cancer had returned and was incurable.
"It was heartbreaking.
"But I've just got to try to get on with life, and deal with whatever comes my way."
Rebecca's stomach swelling had been the characteristic 'jelly belly' associated with PMP, a result of the mucin gathering in her abdomen.
The cancerous liquid had fused to the surface of lots of her organs to form hard masses, limiting her organs' ability to function.
Rebecca said: "By the time they found it, I was pretty much riddled with it."
'An assault on the body'
In April 2019, she had a surgery at The Christie Hospital, Manchester to remove her appendix, navel, lesser omentum - a layer of tissue attached to the stomach and liver - and six litres of mucin.
When tests later showed the cancer was a high-grade and more aggressive form of PMP, which latches onto many organs, Rebecca tried eight rounds of chemo, but it didn't shrink the cancer enough.
She travelled to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital in November 2019, where specialists performed an extreme and lengthy procedure - dubbed 'the mother of all surgeries' - in a bid to remove all the abnormal tissue.
Symptoms of pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP)
Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare cancer.
It usually starts in the appendix. But it can start in another part of the bowel, the bladder or the ovaries.
The tumour usually grows slowly, but as it grows, it can spread from where it started into other parts of the tummy area.
PMP cells attach to the layer of tissue that lines the inside of the abdomen called the peritoneum.
The peritoneum covers and protects the organs in the abdomen, such as the bowel. It also makes gaps around the organs, which are called the peritoneal space.
PMP cells make a jelly-like substance called mucin, which collects in the peritoneum. This is why PMP is sometimes called 'jelly belly'.
PMP may not cause any symptoms in its early stage.
Symptoms of PMP include:
A gradual increase in waist size
A hernia (a bulge on the tummy wall)
Loss of appetite
Unexplained weight gain
Tummy pain (abdominal pain)
Pelvic pain
A change in bowel habit – for example, diarrhoea, constipation or leaking (incontinence)
Source: Macmillan Cancer Support
During the 12-hour surgery they removed her greater omentum, gall bladder, spleen, large bowel, womb, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, and rectum.
They also removed a portion of her stomach and small bowel, and the surface layer of her liver and both sides of her diaphragm.
Rebecca said: "I went through a surgical menopause aged 35 - it was an assault on the body.
"As part of the surgery I had a heated liquid form of chemotherapy - known as HIPEC - to target any remaining cancer cells and they formed an ileostomy.
"I was in hospital recovering on and off for months after."
'Enjoying' time left
Rebecca has to stick to a restricted diet taking a electrolyte fluid solution with food supplements.
She takes a daily cocktail of 50 to 60 tablets including codeine, Imodium and hormone replacement therapy.
But, heartbreakingly, in summer of 2020, Rebecca learned that the cancer hadn't been eradicated.
She participated in a clinical trial in 2022 aimed at targeting the genetic mutation associated with the cancer, but it made her too unwell.
By then, Rebecca's treatment options had run out and her cancer was labelled incurable.
She is now trying to experience as much as she can, as well as raising awareness of PMP.
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Rebecca said: "I'm trying to do things to have a 'normal' life - but with modifications.
"I turn 40 this year and I want to say yes to everything - I've been surfing, in a hot air balloon and dog sledding so far.
"My latest challenge is Chris Hoy 's 'Tour de 4' 90km cycle to raise money for Pseudomyxoma Survivor, a specific PMP charity, the patron of which is Audrey Hepburn's son.
"The message I want to get across is when you have a stoma or an incurable diagnosis, things will be incredibly difficult.
"My daily life is a rollercoaster - but with the right attitude, you can still achieve a lot.
"And more importantly, enjoy whatever time you have."