Seven children lose mum after death of dad, aunt and both grandparents

A mum of seven has died three months after being diagnosed with cancer - and a year after her children also lost their father. Michelle Bailey was diagnosed with cancer in July, after what doctors thought was a stroke.

It was discovered she had five tumours across her body, including in her brain and lungs. On October 18, the 53-year-old died at home in Margate, Kent. surrounded by her loved ones, who say she was “the rock in all of our lives”.

Her death came just a year after Michelle’s husband, Craig, also passed away, after suffering heart and kidney failure. Their devastated children - the youngest being 10 - are trying to come to terms with the fact that “all we have now is each other”. Daughter Megan Watson, 22, said: “It’s no age at all to lose both their parents, and the youngest two, Jimmy and Jenson, also have SEN, which makes dealing with everything so much harder for them to handle and come to terms with.

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“We are dealing with things as best we can, trying to navigate the world without our mum, which has been extremely difficult and is all very new to us. She was the centre of the family home and the rock in all of our lives, and now trying to figure out life without her is confusing and emotionally difficult.”

Michelle’s health problems started with chest pain, which doctors put down to chest infections despite her having scans. Then, in July, she was rushed to QEQM hospital with a suspected stroke. The mum was then transferred to Kent and Canterbury Hospital’s stroke unit, where scans revealed the devastating diagnosis.

She was told she had five tumours - one on her left lung, one on her right lung, one above her kidney, and two in her brain. Megan’s partner, Layla Bond, said: “It’s been so hard on the kids. They’re still grieving their dad. Having a year or more longer with their mum would have made a lot of difference to them.”

Michelle was helped by the Pilgrims Hospice in her final weeks, which provided “amazing” care. She is described as a “force of nature” and a doting mum, who was at her happiest when spending an evening out playing bingo with her family.

Megan said: “As soon as she entered a room, everyone knew she was there. She was the life of any soul and party, and always enjoyed dancing her heart out. She was such a strong woman and someone that many admired and looked up to.

“She always said things exactly how they were and never mixed her words. She had the best sense of humour and always put others first. She cared about her family more than anything else in the entire world and would do anything for them and protect them at all costs - an absolutely amazing mother to her children and always supported them and encouraged them to be themselves. Mum fought hard to get the support that they needed.”

The loss is the latest in a series of tragedies for the family; in 2022, Michelle lost her sister and her father to cancer. Then, in 2023, her mother also died from the disease. In April 2024, her husband passed away after a long illness, with Michelle caring for him throughout.

Megan said: “The family have been through so much loss and heartbreak, only adding more grief every time. We were still grieving our father, and now to add our mother too. We all watched our mum deteriorate until she was no longer here with us. We’re in the world without any parents at all - all we have now is each other.”

A fundraiser has been started to pay for Michelle’s funeral and support her children, Jordan, 25, Megan, 22, Mason, 21, Marshall, 18, Miles, 17, Jimmy-Jay, 12 and Jenson, 10. Miss Bond, who set up the GoFundMe, said: “It’s to help raise money towards her funeral costs and to give her the send off she deserves, but also for temporary financial support for the family during this incredibly hard and terrible time, to make sure that they will have everything they need.”

Michelle is survived by her seven children as well as her best friend Rainy, who has been a huge support to her and the family. East Kent Hospitals Trust has been contacted for comment.