‘Octomum’ Mandy Allwood dies of cancer at age 56 after life tragedy cost her 8 children

OCTOMUM Mandy Allwood, who lost all eight of her children, has died aged 56 after a battle with cancer – and will be laid to rest today at the funeral of a poor man.
Mandy caused a stir around the world 26 years ago when she announced that she was expecting bumper records.
The world will share her grief months later when terrible news emerges of her devastating loss.
Mandy was even comforted by Princess Diana herself.
She gave birth to six boys and two girls at 24 weeks in three days and three nights – but not a single baby survived.
Despite having three children, she never recovered from the trauma of losing her octuplets.
She has gone through virtual pregnancies where she says she can still feel her baby kicking.
Her life spiraled out of control following a devastating loss when she split from partner Paul Hudson and turned to alcoholism.
Mandy was arrested in November 2007 for driving while off-limits when she was carrying her three children in her car.
She then lost custody of the children.
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She was also estranged from her family.
In a sad end to a life of suffering, this morning she was cremated in a service funded by the local council without a mourner.
Her close family declined to comment but confirmed to The Sun that they will not be attending.
Mandy’s friend Mark Beard, 58, said: ‘She had been struggling with cancer for a while and had surgery before Christmas but recently told us it came back. I don’t know what kind of cancer it is.”
Mark, the owner of the Yard of Ale pub in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks, revealed Mandy would show up twice a week.
“She blends in very well and is always available to chat,” he said.
“She’s a bit eccentric and messy but that’s why we love her.
“She sometimes talks about what happened to her, to her eight babies. People often ask her about it.
“When we first met, she told us who she was and she said she’d appeared in magazines before but that’s all.”
Mark said about a dozen of Mandy’s friends plan to toast to her life tonight.
“We are sending some flowers for a small service,” he explains. The receiver is also sending a number.
“Very sad she will have no one at her funeral.
“They just said a little prayer and I think it’s all over in five minutes.”
“She really has no one and I don’t think she has any contact with her family. What a shame.
“The flowers will be brought here and placed on the bar and about a dozen of us will raise glasses with her.
“We wanted to mark it somehow. It just seems right. ” Mandy named his lost eighties Kypros, Adam, Martyn, Cassius, Nelson, Donald, Kitali, and Layne. They are all laid to rest in tiny white coffins.
TRAGIC DEATHS
When asked about the tragic deaths, Mandy said: “In three days and nights, I had 8 miscarriages.
“I cradled each of them for two and a half hours as they died in my arms. This is terrible. It’s terrible indeed.
“When I felt the last one coming, I said, ‘God, let at least one of them live’.”
Mandy continues to lay flowers for her eight children at West Norwood Cemetery in South London.
“You’ll never forget your boy or girl, but you can’t change it,” she said.
“You’ll always have those memories and you’ll get through it.”
Speaking in 2018 about how Princess Diana contacted her, Mandy said:
“She hugged me, supported me a lot.
“When we first met, she said to me, ‘Thanks for keeping me off the front pages for a change.
“We talked about her depression and my panic attacks and she told me she was there too.
“We talked about her family and she talked a lot about Charles and Camilla.”
Mandy has revealed that Diana contacted each other 5 weeks after her death.
They had two private meetings in late 1996. Diana died the following August.
ANGUISH’S LIFE
April 1996: Mandy finds out she’s pregnant and is told she has seven fetuses.
She was told that she could terminate all babies; try to reduce the number or continue the pregnancy. Mandy and the children’s father, Paul, decided to keep them all.
AUGUST 1996: News showed that Mandy was expecting eight discs, garnering worldwide attention.
September 30 to October 2, 1996: Mandy miscarried at 24 weeks and gave birth over three days but none of the eight tiny babies survived.
MAY 1999: Mandy was released from prison after admitting two counts of fraud. She posed as a business executive to trick banks into lending her money.
JUNE 2001: She won a Supreme Court fight against publicist Max Clifford, who she accused of making “secret profits” from her story.
NOVEMBER 2007: Arrested for drunk driving with three children in the car. She later lost custody of them.
DECEMBER 2021: Mandy died at the age of 56 after battling cancer.
https://www.thesun.ie/news/8311858/octomum-mandy-allwood-dead-cancer/ ‘Octomum’ Mandy Allwood dies of cancer at age 56 after life tragedy cost her 8 children