Dad devastated as daughter's 'growing pains' turn out to be cancer
Raeyah was first diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer in December 2021.
Last weekend, Kevin Rice, 40, faced one of his biggest fears: skydiving.
The dad made the leap in memory of his child, Raeyah, who tragically died from a Wilm’s tumour — a rare kidney cancer — relapse earlier this year when she was just four-years-old.
The young girl, who was originally diagnosed in December 2021, had been given the all-clear after treatment, however alarm bells began ringing on Boxing Day last year.
Raeyah started to complain of pain in her leg, which doctors allegedly first believed were “growing pains”.
“After pushing for her to be seen by a specialist, the hospital carried out further investigations and it was confirmed she had relapsed,” Kevin said. “Within a couple of weeks she was back in hospital riddled with tumours from head-to-toe.
“Rebecca and I were absolutely devastated. We didn’t know how to tell our sons that their sister was going to die. Mitchell hasn’t been in school since then because of the impact her death has had on him.”
Young girl dies months after 'growing pains'
Just two months later, Raeyah lost her battle with the aggressive disease. When builder Kevin and his wife, Rebecca, 42, from the UK, first lost their daughter, they were inconsolable.
And although his heart remains broken, the dad-of-three credits his “daredevil” daughter with “taking his fear away” — as he does whatever he can to raise funds and awareness of her illness.
“I’m a builder by trade and when my first son, Mitchell, was born, I automatically had a fear of anything that was going to harm me — and take me away from him,” Kevin said. “So I wouldn’t go up ladders or do anything out of the ordinary and I stayed like that until Raeyah passed away. Now, I’m not scared about jumping from a plane.
“It’s a very weird way of looking at it but when Raeyah left, she took all of my fear with her. My little girl was crazy and engaging, I can only imagine what she’d be saying [about the skydive].
“She was a daredevil, she had fire.”
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Grieving couple create charity
Kevin and Rebecca, who also have two sons, Mitchell, 13, and Mason, 10, are now sharing their painful story to help other parents spot the warning signs of cancer.
Following her death, they created ‘Raeyah’s Hands of Support’ — a charity to raise awareness of both cancer and autism. Kevin and Rebecca’s son Mason was diagnosed with autism in 2021, and they believe Raeyah had signs of the condition too but she was never formally diagnosed.
The charity works on a voluntary basis and all money raised goes directly to their causes.
“Mason has found it really difficult to understand how Raeyah went in for treatment one morning and never returned home,” Kevin said. “The fundraising is a way to still include her in the family. It’s nice when people ask you what we’re doing [for her].”
Kevin was joined by six others to skydive at Old Sarum, Salisbury, to raise money for the small charity. So far, the dad has raised £630 (A$1200) of the group’s £1,000 ($1900) target.
Jam Press
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