A woman had 13 internal organs removed following a 2019 cancer diagnosis
Rebecca Hind of Cumbria, England, initially thought she had food poisoning after feeling unwell following an office Christmas party — but she began to suspect something more was going on when she didn’t fully recover after two months
Hind, 39, was ultimately diagnosed with pseudomyxoma peritonei (or PMP), a rare mucinous cancer
A woman had 13 of her internal organs removed following a rare cancer diagnosis.

Rebecca Hind of Cumbria, England, first began feeling unwell after an office Christmas party in December 2018, according to The Telegraph. The now-former outdoor educator, 39, initially thought she had a bout of food poisoning, but when she hadn’t fully recovered after eight weeks, she knew something more was going on.

After several visits to her doctor, a CT scan and biopsies, Hind was diagnosed with a rare mucinous cancer called pseudomyxoma peritonei (or PMP), which affects about one in a million people. According to the Cleveland Clinic, PMP “spreads by secreting mucin, a component of mucus, inside your abdominal cavity.” Symptoms, which often develop slowly, can include abdominal distension and pain, nausea, loss of appetite and constipation.

The cancer cells spread beyond the abdominal cavity to other organs — which is what had happened in Hind’s case.

“By the time they found it, I was pretty much riddled with it,” she told The Telegraph, adding, “It was heartbreaking. But I’ve just got to try to get on with life, and deal with whatever comes my way.”

In April 2019, when Hind was 34, she underwent an initial surgery in which doctors removed her appendix and umbilicus, lesser omentum and about 1.6 gallons of mucin. She then did eight rounds of chemotherapy in an attempt to shrink the remaining tumors.

However, in November 2019, doctors were forced to remove additional organs and body parts, including her greater omentum, gallbladder, spleen, large bowel, womb, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, and rectum, according to The Mirror. Surgeons also removed a portion of her stomach and small bowel, and the surface layer of her liver and both sides of her diaphragm.

She is now restricted to a diet of electrolyte fluids and a daily cocktail of 50 to 60 tablets, including codeine, Imodium and hormone replacement therapy, per the outlet.

Despite her immense health challenges, Hind has refused to let her illness define her.

“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,” she told The Mirror.

“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,” she continued. “But with the right attitude, you can still achieve a lot. And more importantly, enjoy whatever time you have.”

Hind has since set up a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for cancer survivors and research.

“In September, I’m going to take part in Chris Hoy’s ‘Tour de 4’, a bike event which aims to challenge people’s perspective of Stage 4 cancer as well as raise vital funds for cancer charities,” she wrote in a message on the page.

“As a Stage 4 patient with a penchant for biking, I couldn’t turn this down and not being one for half measures, I’m aiming to complete the full 90km route!!” she added.

Hind also wrote that “this is going to be a particularly big challenge” for her, as doctors discovered “a large tumor” in her pelvis last summer, which led to another surgery and a six-week hospitalization.

Hind, who said she has “essentially run out of treatment options,” plans to donate any funds she receives to Pseudomyxoma Survivor, “a small nonprofit organization run by patients and caregivers to assist those affected by PMP.”

The GoFundMe has raised $1,500 toward an ultimate goal of $1,760 as of May 24.