Metford mum Karin Reynolds asks Neighbourhood Watch and community for help

The 43-year-old was diagnosed with breast cancer one year ago. In January she was told it had spread to her liver and bones and she had six months to live.

When the inevitable closes in on Ms Reynolds, her eldest son Shane (19) will become head of the house and he will have to raise his younger siblings – including his youngest sister Matilda (8).

Ms Reynolds knows it’s a big ask of her son, who is just like any other young man his age.

“He’s a good boy, he plays his video games,” Ms Reynolds said. “But he’ll step up, especially when it concerns his sisters.”

Ms Reynolds said her dying wish was to leave her children with a clean and safe space to grieve. A place they can stay together.

“I just want to leave a hopefully happy life for my kids,” Ms Reynolds said.

“It’d make it easier on the kids if they had a decent place to live. [The house] needs to go from front to back.”

While at Metford Baptist Church one weekend, Ms Reynolds reached out to Karen Stackman and Belinda Fitzpatrick, members of Metford Neighbourhood Watch.

They volunteered to fix up her backyard and organise volunteers to clean the rest of the house in April.

“We’ve got her three nights in Sydney thanks to [charity] Mummy’s Wish,” Ms Stackman said.

“She wants to take the kids to the zoo, to the aquarium.”

Ms Stackman said temporary accommodation had also been organised for a further two weeks. That gives the group three weeks from April 3 to transform the home.

“That’s when we need painters, tilers, heaps of people, we want it spick and span,” Ms Stackman said.

“These kids will need a place to grieve, and what better place than where they grew up?” Ms Fitzpatrick said.

Anyone able to help should contact Karen Stackman on 0402 746 919.