Controversial Reality TV star dies this morning at age 27
I wrote a few weeks ago about Jade Goody, the highly controversial reality TV star who was diganosed a couple of months ago (live, on air, during the taping of Big Brother India) with cervical cancer.
Since she had lived much of her adult life in the public eye, she elected to end her life the same way, and invited cameras to tape her marriage to another controversial figure a couple of weeks ago, and to ultimately tape her death.
Jade had said she did it for two reasons - to ensure the financial future of her two children, ages 5 and 4; and to raise awareness for cervical cancer, and the tests that can save lives. What emerged in England over the past two months has been stunning: the government has decided to review it's policy of not offering annual pap tests to women via national health care until the age of 25. England had seen a decline of women between the ages of 25 and 30 in getting pap tests and since Goody's public battle, women in England have flocked to get tested - the numbers are up an unprecedented 20%. Most have acknowledged that the reality star's pleas for all women to get tested was the push they needed.
Goody acknowledged that she had abnormal cells on her cervix in her teens and had preliminary treatments but elected to ignore letters sent from her hospital, urging her to have immediate surgery but did not proceed with treatment due to her fears of cancer - the very reason she spent the last six months of her life asking other women not to do the same thing.
"They had sent a letter to me ages ago, telling that I needed to go in for an operation, but I had been too scared to do anything about it,” Goody said.
She wanted to ensure women know that their fear of testing, or of the results, are small, in comparison to ignoring results or not getting tested at all.
However controversially she lived her short life - her untimely death will probably save many others from the same fate and for that we are thankful to her.
Jade died early this morning at the young age of 27, leaving her two children behind. Today is Mothers Day in the UK.
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Will Jade's story help you to take better preventative care of your health?
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It is sad that she did not understand the value of prevention. Her poor decision to ignore the hospital's notifications has resulted on her kids being left orphaned. I think people can make decisions about their body whenever they want, but I do not agree with gambling or playing Russian rulette when two young lives are in the middle of the drama. She may have financially "secured" the future of her children but I am sure given the choice, the kids would have rather had mommy and be poor than bringing flowers to her grave every Mother's Day.
I really think she was a courageous woman to do the 'dying on air'. She was so worried about her children's future for one and knew she would be helping others out in the future as well. It is certainly important to take your health and lifestyle seriously. I happen to have something wrong with me now that makes me completely lethargic and I am a highly motivated person. No one seems to know what is going on. I am making sure to keep to every appointment and 'relax' as my doctor would say. Quit pushing yourself so much.
Taking time off or successfully sharing your story is a great legacy. She was a strong willed woman and her ripe young age. I was sad to see her pass to cancer.
Factual error: She was on Big Brother UK, not Big Brother India.
You are right, Anon, she was on Big Brother UK seven years ago, and then Celebrity Big Brother UK several years later.
When diagnosed last year with cervical cancer, she was filming Big Brother India, which is called Bigg Boss in India.