Remembering Rhonda Radford
Is it just me or does everyone hoping we can do some good today…
I met part of Rhonda Radford’s family yesterday.
That’s not a situation she ever would have wanted.
Six weeks ago, at the age of 42, Rhonda gave birth to a healthy baby boy. He is her fourth child in five years.
After the birth, she struggled to recover, but everyone put it down to general fatigue. Who wouldn’t feel tired and a little run down with that sort of workload?
But then, when that tiny little boy was just two weeks old, when he needed his Mum the most, Rhonda’s husband Mark awoke to a noise in the night. He turned on the light in their bedroom and found his wife slumped on the floor. Apparently it was a blood clot…
20 hours later, a decision was made to turn off life support, and let Rhonda slip away.
This tiny little dynamo has left a massive hole behind.
I spoke yesterday to a series of Rhonda’s friends. Everyone wanted to tell me about how much she did.
She ran a series of craft groups, play group and was fixated on war.
Her friend Gweneth recently went overseas, and Rhonda couldn’t believe she didn’t visit any war graves. She said, “That’s all I’d do if I got the chance, I’d just go to visit all our soldiers.”
There’s no doubt Rhonda was an amazing mother. For a long time, when they were first married, Mark and Rhonda thought they couldn’t have children, then at the age of 37…they started coming…and coming.
Frazer is 5, Travis is 4, Ffiona is 2 and tiny little Aaron, the gorgeous helpless little thing, who will never get to know his Mum, is just six weeks old.
I know that sounds like a lot of kids, but Rhonda always said…she’d waited so long for the babies, she wasn’t going to say no when they came…
And now those babies need our help…when we spoke to their Dad Mark yesterday….we asked him what he needed…through his tears he said…I don’t know.
The answer is obvious I guess…he needs his girl back…the kids need their Mum back.
We can’t do that…but I know we can help.
I know we can honour this woman and show these kids that no matter how ripped off they are, how cruel life can be, their Mum was important, and the Sunshine coast is not going to let them fall through the cracks….
I met part of Rhonda Radford’s family yesterday.
That’s not a situation she ever would have wanted.
Six weeks ago, at the age of 42, Rhonda gave birth to a healthy baby boy. He is her fourth child in five years.
After the birth, she struggled to recover, but everyone put it down to general fatigue. Who wouldn’t feel tired and a little run down with that sort of workload?
But then, when that tiny little boy was just two weeks old, when he needed his Mum the most, Rhonda’s husband Mark awoke to a noise in the night. He turned on the light in their bedroom and found his wife slumped on the floor. Apparently it was a blood clot…
20 hours later, a decision was made to turn off life support, and let Rhonda slip away.
This tiny little dynamo has left a massive hole behind.
I spoke yesterday to a series of Rhonda’s friends. Everyone wanted to tell me about how much she did.
She ran a series of craft groups, play group and was fixated on war.
Her friend Gweneth recently went overseas, and Rhonda couldn’t believe she didn’t visit any war graves. She said, “That’s all I’d do if I got the chance, I’d just go to visit all our soldiers.”
There’s no doubt Rhonda was an amazing mother. For a long time, when they were first married, Mark and Rhonda thought they couldn’t have children, then at the age of 37…they started coming…and coming.
Frazer is 5, Travis is 4, Ffiona is 2 and tiny little Aaron, the gorgeous helpless little thing, who will never get to know his Mum, is just six weeks old.
I know that sounds like a lot of kids, but Rhonda always said…she’d waited so long for the babies, she wasn’t going to say no when they came…
And now those babies need our help…when we spoke to their Dad Mark yesterday….we asked him what he needed…through his tears he said…I don’t know.
The answer is obvious I guess…he needs his girl back…the kids need their Mum back.
We can’t do that…but I know we can help.
I know we can honour this woman and show these kids that no matter how ripped off they are, how cruel life can be, their Mum was important, and the Sunshine coast is not going to let them fall through the cracks….
2 Comments:
You are one amazing woman. It is just fantastic to see how you can bring out the best of so many wonderful people on the sunshine coast to help someone truly in need.
I spoke to you on the phone the other day & thanked people for helping out Mark & his beautiful children. I would like to thank you for organizing this appeal. I know Mark is overwhelmed by all this support. You are making his greiving a little easier.
So thank-you thank-you thank-you
From
Wendy Horne
Rhonda's best friend from school & Marks cousin
PS yesterday was a very very sad day as it was Rhonda's birhtday & today it is her elderest daughter Victoria's birthday.
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