3 days ago
How 'fit and healthy' mum's 'party trick' turned out to be a warning sign behind her devastating diagnosis at 39
When she was younger, Becky Strange was the definition of active.
In her hometown on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne, she grew up playing netball, umpired matches, twirled in ballet recitals, and smashed aerobics routines with ease.
She was so flexible she could twist her body into 'party tricks' most kids could only dream of - like wrapping her legs behind her head.
'I was very bendy, so I could do all these awesome things,' Becky, now 39, told Daily Mail. 'But I'd injure myself all the time, even just running could mean I'd sprain my ankle.'
Back then, she never could have guessed that this extraordinary flexibility was a red flag for a hidden genetic condition.
Especially one that would later leave her battling chronic pain, enduring more than a dozen major surgeries, and now, fighting for her life.
At 21, Becky's dreams of becoming a mum were dealt a crushing blow when she was diagnosed with stage four endometriosis and polycystic ovaries.
Doctors warned that conceiving would be difficult, if not impossible. A decade of invasive procedures and multiple rounds of expensive IVF followed.
Then, in 2021, Becky's beloved grandmother passed away.
'As she was dying, she said to me, "I'm going to go and ask God to send you a baby." Two weeks later, I conceived Maddison,' Becky said.
'I truly believe she was my miracle.'
But pregnancy wasn't easy. At seven months, Becky collapsed in agony from severe hip pain in front of her partner and couldn't get up off the floor.
She didn't know it yet, but she had serious hip dysplasia, and an even bigger health battle looming.
After Maddison's birth, Becky was finally diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare, inherited disorder that affects the body's connective tissue.
In EDS, the collagen that holds the body together is 'faulty', making joints overly flexible and skin fragile. It can cause frequent injuries, severe pain, and damage to vital organs.
EDS explained Becky's history of frequent sprains and injuries, but it didn't stop the decline in her health.
Pregnancy wasn't easy. At seven months, Becky collapsed in agony from severe hip pain in front of her partner and couldn't get up off the floor. She didn't know it yet, but she had serious hip dysplasia, and an even bigger health battle looming. Over the next two years, she endured 11 major surgeries
Over the next two years, she endured 11 major surgeries, including complex reconstructions of her spine, sacroiliac joints, neck, and hip.
Still, some doctors didn't believe her. 'One said I was psychosomatic and making it up,' Becky said.
'Apparently, I held myself too well to be in chronic pain. But I was living with it every single day.'
In February 2025, Becky's symptoms took a frightening turn when she began suffering from confusion, loss of coordination, and constant illness.
Initially diagnosed with meningitis, she underwent a spinal tap that took over an hour to produce a single drop of spinal fluid, which was worrying, so doctors booked her in for an MRI scan.
'On discharge, I asked for a copy of the scan. But when I looked, I saw something on it,' Becky recalled.
'When I took it to my GP, his face went white. He told me I needed to see a neurosurgeon immediately.'
Days later, Becky was in hospital for emergency surgery. A rare colloid cyst (a benign but potentially deadly brain tumour) had blocked the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, causing dangerous pressure in her brain.
She underwent a full craniotomy, leaving her with an ear-to-ear scar, memory loss, and long-term fatigue, as well as a lot of time away from Maddi.
After surviving brain surgery, Becky finally got some good news: she was approved for a total hip replacement in September 2025.
She was looking forward to healing, returning to work, and creating a stable future for Maddi, now four.
But in July, her world came crashing down again. A follow-up MRI revealed the tumour was back - this time measuring 35mm.
It's bigger, more dangerous, and could lead to sudden death if untreated.
Worse still, Becky has no financial safety net. Her savings are gone, debt has mounted from past surgeries, and she's unable to work.
Her biggest fear isn't just the tumour, it's leaving Maddison without a mum.
Although she's remaining positive, her doctors are still deciding whether her brain surgery is possible, given the high risks.
Until then, Becky is living each day with a tumour in her brain and a displaced hip, leaving her in such chronic pain that some days she can't get out of bed.
But when it comes to her future, Becky is determined to stick around to raise her daughter and one day run a full marathon.
'Hopefully my next surgery will be the hip replacement,' she said. 'Then six months of physio, and then maybe I could start training for a marathon.'
