'Devoted' mum dies on plane in front of her two children and husband
8 August 2022, 15:21
A "devoted" mother has died suddenly on a plane in front of her children and husband.
Helen Rhodes was returning to the UK with her husband Simon and their two children Nathan and Emma on August 5, after living in Hong Kong for more than 15 years.
She was found "unresponsive" a few hours into the flight, and tragically could not be resuscitated.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by Jayne Jeje to help the family get the mother-of-two's body brought home and to "honour our dear friend Helen".
Donations topped £11,000 at lunchtime on Monday, with tributes flooding in for the "devoted" mother and "one of a kind" midwife.
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Ms Jeje said her friend's "traumatising" death unfolded in front of her children on Friday.
Her broken children sat next to their mum in a "breathless sleep" for the remaining eight hours of the flight, until they landed in Frankfurt, a friend of the family wrote.
Ms Jeje said the family is "devastated" and their loss is "unimaginable".
"Helen was a devoted wife and mother," she wrote. "She was the glue that held her family together."
After landing in Germany, Mrs Rhodes's body remained in Frankfurt while Simon and their two children had to go on to the UK without her.
Ms Jeje said she was "excited and nervous" about the move, but was looking forward to seeing her elderly parents, whom she hadn't seen since before the pandemic began.
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She described her friend as "one of a kind" and a "gem", who was always willing to lend a helping hand.
She was the "pulse of her community" in Tung Chung, Hong Kong, and was a member of a tight knit group, called Tung Chung Mums, Ms Jeje added.
Andrew Spires, admin of Tung Chung Tower Communities' Facebook page, paid tribute to Mrs Rhodes.
He said: "Sadly Tung Chung's very own Helen Rhodes passed away on a flight back to the UK. She was with her husband Simon, and two kids.
"I knew Helen only on a 'school gates' level but she was the most caring, generous and thoughtful person; also the most chatty! Tung Chung and school pick-up won't be the same without you.
"Wishing all the best to her family going forward - I hope they eventually find some peace.
"Live life to the fullest folks, and hugs the ones you love."
