Proud Cheshire mum of brave Helen Mayers hails her as an ‘inspiration’

Mar 3 2010 by Gary Porter, Chester Chronicle

A PROUD mother has hailed her courageous daughter as an ‘inspiration’ after she lost her long battle with ill health.

Eileen Mayers, of Fleet Street in Ellesmere Port, paid tribute to the fighting spirit of 28-year-old Helen who had suffered with kidney problems since she was nine.

Helen, a former pupil at Dorin Park School in Upton, died at Arrowe Park Hospital last month due to organ failure.

During her life, Helen had bounced back from the devastating blow of two failed kidney transplants, losing her sight and having her bowel removed during an operation in which she needed 18 pints of blood.

Eileen, 53, said: “I feel so lucky to have had Helen for as long as I did.

“They didn’t give her much hope when she was little but she was a fighter. She was our inspiration. She never let anything keep her down.”

Her dad Alec, 57, added: “She had a good sense of humour considering all she went through. She’s at peace now, she’s not suffering anymore.”

Helen, who was on dialysis and had to use a wheelchair, fell seriously ill on February 13.

“She was feeling unwell and had been sick. We thought it might be a bug,” said Eileen.

“The specialist said ‘this is not good’, she was in a lot of pain with her stomach.

“We were called into a room and they said if we operate she wouldn’t come through it as she was too ill. They said she’s got 24 hours and we should go and spend time with her.

“I held her hand and told her everything would be OK. I was so upset.

“Then she was gone within minutes. I said ‘you can’t let her go yet, you said we had 24 hours’.”

Helen had three brothers, Paul, 33, David, 21, and Tony, who sadly died ten years ago at the age of 24, also due to kidney problems.