Mum with terminal cancer faces homelessness after eviction

A mum with terminal cancer has been evicted from her rental and could be homeless at the very moment she undergoes a surgery to find out how much time she has left.

Jodi Hunter, 48, from South Windsor, NSW, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January and the doctors told her it was terminal.

For her son Thomas, it was like a “comet” had hit the family.

“We’ve been through dramas but the difference with this one, instead of us losing a house or a business, or possessions, it’s a person,” he said.

The doctors don’t yet know what stage Ms Hunter is in and will operate on her in November to learn more.

But in a tough new blow, the family received a legal 90-day no grounds eviction notice from their Church St home of 11 years in late August.

The notice hit them after months of chemo treatments for Ms Hunter, and the timing means they could be without anywhere to live when she goes into hospital again.

The family are looking for another rental, but Mr Hunter said covering the bond was a “challenge” for them.

Ms Hunter’s husband Dale said if they couldn’t find somewhere soon, the family would fall into homelessness.

The real estate agency representing the landlord has been contacted but did not respond to questions at the time of publication.

NSW allows a 90-day notice period for no grounds evictions, though the government is looking to reform the law.

The family has established a GoFundMe to help them with their move, which follows years of struggle and hardship.

Ms Hunter has suffered a series of complex medical conditions in her life, including fibromyalgia and osteoporosis.

Tom, 23, said she had been denied help from the NDIS to date, but the family had submitted another application for assistance.

“You can be as resilient as you want, but sometimes you get to a point where you have to ask for help,” Tom said.

“I’m already feeling so blessed with the help we have had.”

The family has set a $10,000 target and received more than $1000 from 18 donations as of Friday.

The Hunters have three sons together, and Dale has a son from another relationship.

Ms Hunter praised her “beautiful” husband and three sons for getting her through the “stressful” days.

“It’s not fun, you have to do what you have to do, but I was very lucky. I’ve got a beautiful husband and three sons who look after me,” she said.

“I couldn’t do it without them.”

For Tom, his mum is the “toughest” woman he knows.

“She is so strong,” he said.

“She is obviously distraught and sad, but I’ve never met anyone who could probably beat the unbeatable.”

Ms Hunter’s maiden name was Smith, and when she married Mr Hunter, she joked that she gained the “Smunter power” that kept her going.

“Nothing can keep us down, we have Smunter power,” she said.

“Whatever happens, we can do this. Work it out, game plan, day-by-day and we just keep powering on.”