'Deals & Steals for you and your home!

Open menu

  • Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • GMA3: WYNTK
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2023 ABC News
  • Family

Mom undergoing chemo asks moms on social media for breast milk donations

VIDEO: Mom undergoing chemo asks social media for breast milk donations
0:42
Mom undergoing chemo asks social media for breast milk donations
ABCNews.com
ByNicole Pelletiere
January 18, 2019, 2:24 pm

A woman who was diagnosed with cancer months after giving birth has received thousands of ounces in breast milk donations from fellow moms she's never met.

Rhiannon Lindley, 27, recently put a call out on her Facebook page asking for milk donations and the response "blew her away."

"It's hard to describe how wonderful it really is, all these women taking the time to feed my child," Lindley of Springfield, Missouri, told "Good Morning America." "She's strong and beautiful and healthy because of them."

Lindley is a nurse, caregiver to her brother Jesse and mom to Adelaide, 1, Ezra, 2, Madalyn, 4, and Dani, 6. She said she was diagnosed with leukemia on Jan. 26, 2018.

At the time, doctors gave her a startling prognosis of three to four months to live, according to Lindley.

"Being told I only had a few months to take care of my children, my brother and my husband, I didn't accept it," Lindley said. "But being so horribly sick...I thought I was going to die. One night I was in the hospital, I sent a video home to my children and my husband saying goodbye, which was really hard."

Lindley said she was transferred to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, where she received chemo until November 2018, when she was released.

Mothers cannot breastfeed while receiving chemotherapy. The drugs are dangerous for nursing babies because "they interfere with the normal, healthy division of cells in the body," according to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

PHOTO: Rhiannon Lindley of Springfield, Missouri, was diagnosed with leukemia on Jan. 26, 2018.
Rhiannon Lindley of Springfield, Missouri, was diagnosed with leukemia on Jan. 26, 2018.
Rhiannon Lindley

Although Lindley is now considered in remission, she must take chemo for the rest of her life, she said. Lindley breastfed all four of her children but said she had to stop at her youngest when she started chemo.

PHOTO: Rhiannon Lindley of Springfield, Missouri, is photographed with three of her four children, Ezra, 2, Dani, 6 and Madalyn, 4.
Rhiannon Lindley of Springfield, Missouri, is photographed with three of her four children, Ezra, 2, Dani, 6 and Madalyn, 4.
Rhiannon Lindley

"I know all the medical benefits to breastfeeding, but for her it's also a comfort," Lindley said. "I didn't want her to have to give that up. Being sick I tried to keep things as normal as possible for my children."

Lindley started out small by reaching out to moms in her area who donated their breast milk. Then on Jan. 8, she shared a public Facebook post in hopes of expanding on her request, writing, "She has been drinking donor milk since my leukemia diagnosis and subsequent start of chemotherapy...If you know anyone willing to donate, please connect us!"

Editor’s Picks

What this 38-year-old mom who discovered a lump while breastfeeding wants you to know

  • Oct 20, 2020

Baby hears sister for first time and her reaction is priceless

  • Jan 15, 2019

New mom who survived cancer creates 'no breastfeeding zone' sign for delivery room staff

  • Oct 30, 2018
'It's hard to describe how wonderful it really is, all these women taking the time to feed my child'

The post was shared nearly 9,000 times and Lindley said she received thousands of ounces of milk donations.

Stephanie Payne, a mom from Phillipsburg, Missouri, said she first met Lindley in March 2018 through mutual friends.

One month prior, Payne was pregnant with a little boy whom she named Ellison Isaiah, but during a Feb. 23 checkup, doctors could not find Ellison's heartbeat. Payne was induced, but Ellison did not survive.

PHOTO: Rhiannon Lindley is seen in an undated photo with her husband, Jonathon Lindley.
Rhiannon Lindley is seen in an undated photo with her husband, Jonathon Lindley.
Rhiannon Lindley

Payne wanted to help fulfill Lindley's request, so she donated 250 ounces of her own breast milk.

"It's such a comfort to me after [Ellison's] loss knowing that I was able to give all of my milk to her," Payne, 25, told "GMA." "That's probably been the biggest blessing is seeing her daughter grow and thrive with the help of my son."

PHOTO: Rhiannon Lindley of Springfield, Missouri, asked the public to donate breast milk on social media after being diagnosed with leukemia on Jan. 26, 2018.
Rhiannon Lindley of Springfield, Missouri, asked the public to donate breast milk on social media after being diagnosed with leukemia on Jan. 26, 2018.
Rhiannon Lindley

Payne has a 3-year-old son and is expecting a daughter. She hopes to donate more breast milk to a mom in need, she said.

Lindley said she's received donations ranging from 3 ounces to 600 ounces.

"Women who have that big of a heart and care enough about my baby and my family to do that," Lindley said, "I don't even know how to thank them enough."

Related Topics
  • Cancer Treatments

Editor’s Picks

What this 38-year-old mom who discovered a lump while breastfeeding wants you to know

  • Oct 20, 2020

Baby hears sister for first time and her reaction is priceless

  • Jan 15, 2019

New mom who survived cancer creates 'no breastfeeding zone' sign for delivery room staff

  • Oct 30, 2018
Up Next in Family—

Dodgers pitcher plays in front of mom for 1st time after 7 years apart

September 21, 2023

Dad's visit to see daughter after she gives birth goes viral

September 21, 2023

Daughter helps mom cross marathon finish line: 'Made my heart so full'

September 21, 2023

Mom's viral TikTok about plane seats sparks debate about parents' labor divide

September 20, 2023

Up Next in Family—

Dodgers pitcher plays in front of mom for 1st time after 7 years apart

September 21, 2023

Dad's visit to see daughter after she gives birth goes viral

September 21, 2023

Daughter helps mom cross marathon finish line: 'Made my heart so full'

September 21, 2023

Mom's viral TikTok about plane seats sparks debate about parents' labor divide

September 20, 2023

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2023 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2023 ABC News