Mother’s death on flight leaves her family ‘devastated’

A family is morning the “unimaginable” loss of a mother who died in her sleep during a transcontinental flight last week, an online fundraiser says.

Helen Rhodes, a married mom of two, became unconscious during the flight from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom on Friday, reads the GoFundMe page, which was set up to support her family and cover funeral expenses.

“Despite all efforts, Helen was not able to be resuscitated,” the fundraiser reads. “This all unfolded in front of her children.

“For the remaining 8 hours of the flight, Helen lay in a breathless sleep in her seat. Although this was extremely traumatizing to the family, they all had time to say what they needed to say to her. Needless to mention, they are devastated.”

Rhodes spent 15 years in Hong Kong and was in the process of moving back to her native United Kingdom, according to the fundraiser, which was created by a friend.

She is survived by her husband, Simon, and two young kids, Nathan and Emma. A cause of death has not been released.

“Helen was one of a kind, a gem,” the GoFundMe page reads. “She was a midwife by profession, and was always willing to lend a helping hand or advice to anyone who needed it.

“Helen loved to talk and made friends easily. She was the pulse of her community in Tung Chung, in Hong Kong. She couldn’t walk a few feet and not run into someone she knew by name.”

The online fundraiser has received more than $34,000 in the three days since it launched.