THE husband of a Newport woman who passed away earlier this month has paid tribute to his late wife who he described as a "shining star".
Rachael Thomas, who was 45 and from the Malpas area of the city, died on August 12 after having fought a long battle with cancer.
Mrs Thomas was described as "the heartbeat of our wonderful family" by husband Michael and also leaves behind three daughters, Lauren, Nikkita and Nadine.
"Rach was our shining star and an inspiration to us all," said Mr Thomas.
"When you think you couldn’t love someone anymore, everyday it just got stronger.
"After continuous setbacks, Rach just accepted the inevitable was going to happen and grabbed every day - still being able to put smiles on people’s faces and make it easier for people around her.
"Rach would brighten up any room with her beautiful looks and her wacky sense of humour. She loved life and her family and it’s so sad it’s been cut short."
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Mrs Thomas and her family only discovered that she had the disease following surgery to remove a tumour weighing five pounds from her womb.
The fibroid tumour doctors thought was benign was in fact an aggressive form of cancer which had spread to her spinal cord.
Following the news, Mr Thomas said: “This could have been so different if fibroids were treated at a higher level of care and this is what we must change and raise awareness of.
“I would never want this happening to any person again."
Mr Thomas is now working to highlight fibroid awareness in his wife's memory.
"Rach will not die in vain and I will continue to get fibroid awareness out there to help other women," he said.
"Most are benign but some turn, especially when left, and unfortunately Rach paid the ultimate price for this."
Mrs Thomas' funeral has been arranged for 2pm on Thursday, August 29 and will be held at St David Lewis Church in Bettws.
Women are asked to wear a splash of colour in memory of Mrs Thomas.
"We crammed 40 years into nine special ones," said Mr Thomas.
"I love you Rach."
For more information about fibroids, visit
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