Having read all of the comments on here - Roni, I totally agree with your sentiments, there are thousands of other women in the very same position, who are not privileged enough to be treated privately at the RM, who have children and have to cope with and face up to the very real added stress of financial worry because they didn't enter 'BB'. They are just 'normal' wives, daughters, sisters and Mums who can no longer support their family because of terminal illness and are absolutely worried sick and will die terrified for their families future. Very few of them will have already racked up a (media) suggested 3 milllion odd in the bank to ensure their families long term security :-(

My Fathers wife died an agonising death from Cancer 3 1/2 yrs ago leaving behind 2 boys who were 7 & 8 yrs old. Is that fair? No, but it's life and eventually...death. The media circus makes me sick quite frankly. I have compassion for anyone who is facing this right now but Jade is no more special or insignificant than the next person.

Yes, everyone is entitled to an opinion on this macabre story but I think that the only good thing to have come out of this charade is that more women will hopefully be vigilant and attend  regular cervical screening when called.

But for now, let's just wish Jade a peaceful and as pain free as possible time that she has left with those that matter to her.

 

> but Jade is no more special or insignificant than the next person.

I have never read anything to indicate that she thinks she is more special or more deserving nor do I believe that any similarly positioned young mother would begrudge her anything that she is managing to garner out of this for her childrens future.  What she is managing to do is not taking away from anyone in fact if she is being treated privately she is leaving more resources in the NHS pot for others.

Everyone is, of course, entitled to their opinion.  My view (having lost three close people, all of whom had young children, to cancer) is that every person has the right to live their last days as they wish.  What most people in this situation have in common is the overwhelming pain of leaving behind those that they love.  I sob eaily at the thought of being in that position and cannot imagine the pain that I would feel if I were to face never seeing my children grow up.  Who are any of us to judge how Jade or anyone else manages to deal with this?  Focussing on ensuring that her sons needs are well catered for when she won't be here to do it herself is admirable is it not?

Jade is typical of many cancer sufferers and their families in that they want to raise awareness of the disease in the hope of preventing others having to face the same thing and Jade is in the fortunate position of being able to do this nationally.  If that saves a single life then it is worth it and I think a lot of other cancer sufferers, whatever their circumstances, would applaud that.

As the majority have no idea how they, personally, would react having not been in this position, perhaps it would be better to support rather than condemn. 

The bottom line is a 27 year old woman is going to die shortly and leave two very young boys without the mother that they love and that is very,very sad.

A very sympathetic post Andi2020 and very much echoes my own feelings
Teri

> A very sympathetic post Andi2020 and very much echoes my own feelings

Ditto

> I believe that is the case in both Scotland and Wales.  The reason it was changed to 25 in England was to reduce the amount of unecessary treatments arising from the confusing results that young women can display.  I am not sure why that decision was reached in one part of the UK and not another though

it was 21 for me in scotland, i'm 24 and about to have my second (groan!) but when i first asked about it when i was 16 they said its 21 for the reason you gave isabel, apparently the samples would more often than not show strange cells simply because girls are still developing at that age.

i feel very sorry for jade and her family, as i would for anyone who had recieved such news. i do think some of the coverage has been rather tacky but i feel thats down to her publicist more than anything. its very sad to hear this of anyone so young and especially with young kids :(

> Everyone is, of course, entitled to their opinion.  My view (having lost three close people, all of whom had young children, to cancer) is that every person has the right to live their last days as they wish.  What most people in this situation have in common is the overwhelming pain of leaving behind those that they love.  I sob eaily at the thought of being in that position and cannot imagine the pain that I would feel if I were to face never seeing my children grow up.  Who are any of us to judge how Jade or anyone else manages to deal with this?  Focussing on ensuring that her sons needs are well catered for when she won't be here to do it herself is admirable is it not?
>
> Jade is typical of many cancer sufferers and their families in that they want to raise awareness of the disease in the hope of preventing others having to face the same thing and Jade is in the fortunate position of being able to do this nationally.  If that saves a single life then it is worth it and I think a lot of other cancer sufferers, whatever their circumstances, would applaud that.
>
> As the majority have no idea how they, personally, would react having not been in this position, perhaps it would be better to support rather than condemn. 
>
> The bottom line is a 27 year old woman is going to die shortly and leave two very young boys without the mother that they love and that is very,very sad.

quite. it certainly reminded me to arrange my one.

> Everyone is, of course, entitled to their opinion.  My view (having lost three close people, all of whom had young children, to cancer) is that every person has the right to live their last days as they wish.  What most people in this situation have in common is the overwhelming pain of leaving behind those that they love.  I sob eaily at the thought of being in that position and cannot imagine the pain that I would feel if I were to face never seeing my children grow up.  Who are any of us to judge how Jade or anyone else manages to deal with this?  Focussing on ensuring that her sons needs are well catered for when she won't be here to do it herself is admirable is it not?
>
> Jade is typical of many cancer sufferers and their families in that they want to raise awareness of the disease in the hope of preventing others having to face the same thing and Jade is in the fortunate position of being able to do this nationally.  If that saves a single life then it is worth it and I think a lot of other cancer sufferers, whatever their circumstances, would applaud that.
>
> As the majority have no idea how they, personally, would react having not been in this position, perhaps it would be better to support rather than condemn. 
>
> The bottom line is a 27 year old woman is going to die shortly and leave two very young boys without the mother that they love and that is very,very sad.

totally agree with the bit about how Jade is coping with cancer by making sure her boys will be well looked after after she has gone.
I was never really a fan of Jade when she was on BB,in fact after that first night when she got drunk and never shut up screaming and shouting I was thinking "For Goodness sake, hope shes first out".
However over the years I have warmed to Jade and think that the way she has handled dealing with cancer is to be admired.
Anyone going through cancer faces a terrible ordeal,(a memebr of my family has been fighting every type of cancer for the last 30 yrs), and perhaps by Jade being in the papers etc raising awareness of this horrible disease it will make people go for regular smears etc and help to prevent others suffering unnecisarily if its caught in time...surely that has to be a good thing.

Jade is married to Jack now and if that has made her last few weeks on this earth happy then good I say.....I wish her peace and hope that her reamaining time with her family is happy for her.

I for one wish Jade & Jack the best possible time they can have in the next few weeks. Whatever the ifs or buts, nobody deserves to be going through this and who the hell are we to judge - unless anyone has been in that position of course and then individuals deal with things in different ways.
I dont know how anyone can say it is disrespecful - Jade has invited the media to be part of it so she can earn maximum money for her children, to me that is honourable and incredibly brave & again, if thats what she wants to do so be it. If you dont wanna reaed about it - dont buy the papers

I personally have never particularly liked Jade, I find it strange that our society (mainly because of the media) seems to recognise people with no real talents yet ignore all those people who have and who contribute to that society.  Having said that I have nothing but admiration for the way she has conducted herself over the last few months and has used her position to manipulate the media to earn money to provide for her family.  She has actually done a lot of good through this illness and I hope she can enjoy whatever time she has left.

I'm probably going to be struck down for this, but she looks really well to me in the pics, and the words from Max Clifford etc don't seem to match up to the pictures... even where she has immaculate make up etc. I don't mean to be nasty, but she looks nothing like my poor old dear mum in law did when she was in the last few weeks of her life with cancer

Go on, hit me with it for being a cynical old so and so lol

Where are the pics Carla? I saw a picture of her in a wheelchair in a magazine yesterday and she looked a bit frail...but I know what you're saying. I lost my wonderful Nan to cancer and when she was in the last few weeks of her life, she was a shadow of her former self.

Just general ones in the press - maybe its an age thing? My mum in law looked dreadful and was in hospital for the last 9 weeks of her life. She could never have put make up on or had her eyebrows plucked or teeth whitened - she could barely eat and had to have her hair washed and teeth brushed for her!

My Nan was the same. She was just under 70yrs when she passed away. She had to have everything done for her - it was so sad, I completely understand what you are saying and dont think you're cynical at all!

I will have a look at the pictures (didn't she do a deal with 'OK' magazine for the wedding pics - that should be out today!)

Age may be on her side and I think she is making a great effort for the cameras but I think it is definately taking its toll.  I saw this bit of film on the sky site and it shows her later that same day arriving at the venue.  She has clearly lost a lot of weight, is unsteady on her feet at times and walks awkwardly which suggests a deal of pain to me.

come on girls, i know the media is not the most trusted tool for information at the moment but i very much doubt ANYONE would play on this illness for more coverage. wether you like her or not she is a young lady suffering something none of us would wish on anyone, lets send her good vibes. I for one will be extremely upset when she passes as she is only a few yrs younger than me and it feels as if i have grown with her whilst she has been in the public eye for many years now.

and being a bit cynical here I'm sure a number of media organisations would love to expose this as being not as serious as is being made out and will be checking out the hospital staff etc to see if they can dig some dirt.  If there was any I'm sure it would be out by now.

How a cancer patient looks can depend on a lot of factors including what the cancer is, how agressive it is, and where it has spread.  A patient may not look that ill if, for example, an agressive cancer is spreading quickly simply because they have not had time to lose a lot of weight.

fair enough. its just so strange how its all happened, she goes from hero to zero and straight back to hero... just makes me wonder if it couldn't be being exploited just a llittle bit, its just so... public!

Oh its totally exploited but that a joint thing with Jade and her publicist.She is famous for letting the world see her at play on BB it showed us a different life.
But, smear tests have gone up which is good, she is still earning for her family - good for her. Im a bit weary of her b/f he's a lout sorry but anyone who sets about a 16 year old with a golf club deserved jail, pity they let him out again so soon. But if it brings her a bit of happiness well and good. Taking up what a previous writer said my MIL is terminal with the same cancer and physically she is little changed, she's in a lot of pain but does not look that ill yet! But we know its time with MIL no cure too far gone.

I hope that she (Jade) halts the filming when she gets really poorly its frightening for others with the same malady. But all on here Im sure? have a feeling for two small boys that will be left without the caring parent I hope their Dad steps up for them, but he is v. young as well. But I would not let that other person near any child of mine Im afraid.

> I hope their Dad steps up for them, but he is v. young as well

He may have a baby face but he is almost 30 :-)

Is he? he looked about 20!! Mind you to me everyone is looking v. young!!

Anyone who thinks she is playing on her illness, or not as bad as she is saying should hang their head in shame

I think she is playing on her illness and exploiting the media for all she can get and good luck to her.  If I was in her position and able to use the media to provide for my dependants I would take them for all I could.  The media are more than happy to exploit people if it sells papers its good to see someone playing the system and getting something back.  It is also good to see the effect she is having on raising awareness of this type of cancer (smear tests up by 20%).

> Anyone who thinks she is playing on her illness, or not as bad as she is saying should hang their head in shame

Agree freds mum, someone who i was lucky to have met and became firm friends with lost her battle to cervical cancer, came down to stay with me the week before she died, we went out to tea....yes she was very poorly, and tired and puffed up from being on steroids, but if you had not known her you wouldn't of known anything was wrong. She was just a "normal" person, not had makeovers teeth whitening etc.

why? there are plenty of folk out there prepared to exploit stuff they shouldnt - shannon mathews mum for example. its only a discussion, no need for any "shame" in talking about it.

Carla i feel you are most likey feeling cynical as going public with a terminal disease is something most people couldnt imagine, but i do think unless you are in that situation nobody could say honestly what they would do to ensure the people they are leaving behind are looked after.

I can only hope that the father of the children, Jeff Brazier does have custody of the children and he does a good job of raising them. He himself is in the media and i hope people will rally around him to help in looking after them when the time comes as its going to be difficult for all concerned.
The thought of this Tweedy guy looking after the children does concern me somewhat.

Not sure if they are going to do this, but if money is donated from OK and any other paper/magazine which prints photos of her wedding or anything of the like, if it goes to a cancer charity and its a good amount then i for one will be buying it, as they say every little helps.

> Not sure if they are going to do this, but if money is donated from OK and any other paper/magazine which prints photos of her wedding or anything of the like, if it goes to a cancer charity and its a good amount then i for one will be buying it, as they say every little helps. <IMG class=qButton title="Quote selected text" height=10 alt="Quote selected text" src="/images/mi_quote.gif" width=20>

the reason why she is doing this is for the money for her children so they have a better future than she did

I know the magazine were paying her, didn't know if the magazine were going to donate money for every copy sold.

ahhhh right, i get you. well lets hope so. im sure there will be a foundation of some type set up in her memory so lets hope that does as much for awareness as her going public has.

OK have also got the rights to the boys Christening next week too.

IMO now sorry that is tacky.

why? there are plenty of folk out there prepared to exploit stuff they shouldnt - shannon mathews mum for example. its only a discussion, no need for any "shame" in talking about it.
Carla, i must admit i feel the same as you. Having had several people i know die from cancer recently i really don't see the neccessity to do it in front of the media. How awful it must be for anyone coping with the same tragedy, or having just been diagnosed to have to hear about it day in day out.

thing is... i'm not sure its the money that i am uncomfortable with, or the fact that because she is ill she is now being held up as some sort of icon - when I can remember the stuff she was infamous for before...  thats why I feel a bit cynical, whether its being expolited for sympathy after the mauling she got previously?
I really don't mean to be nasty - I am just thinking outloud. What a rollercoaster time she has had.

> i'm not sure its the money that i am uncomfortable with, or the fact that because she is ill she is now being held up as some sort of icon

I kind of know where you're coming from. It reminds me of how Princess Diana went from 'disgraced Princess' to 'can-do-no-wrong-Princess' after her death.

I have never been a big Jade fan, and still don't claim to be, I just admire her strength of character to deal with things as she has. And whatever you think of Jade I'm sure nobody can deny that the illness/death of any young mother is a tragedy.

> It reminds me of how Princess Diana went from 'disgraced Princess' to 'can-do-no-wrong-Princess' after her death.

I don't think it has gone that far :-)  I don't think anyone has forgotten her history or fails to see how tacky a lot of it is, you only have to consider his "leaving the house" outfit :-o and it clearly is a case of exploiting matters to the best of her abilities, which are considerable in that direction :-).  However, she is in the position she is, obviously cares deeply about her boys and I don't think any of us would like to swop with her to discover if we would do anything differently.

> I don't think it has gone that far

No, neither do I :-D But that is what is reminds me of.

> I don't think any of us would like to swop with her to discover if we would do anything differently.

Absolutely.
Like I said, I admire her for how she is dealing with what life has thrown at her, and I don't necessarily think she should do anything differently. It's not her that I was criticizing.

> OK have also got the rights to the boys Christening next week too

Personally, this is the point that I find to be a concern:  a "christening" is a service which welcomes children (or adults) into the Christian church - and the Godparents (in the case of children) make promises to bring up the children AS CHRISTIANS.   Is this really the case?  If not, if the godparents/parents aren't practising Christians, then perhaps we (or the media) should just be calling this a blessing or naming ceremony.

Margot

> Personally, this is the point that I find to be a concern:&nbsp; a "christening" is a service which welcomes children (or adults) into the Christian church - and the Godparents (in the case of children) make promises to bring up the children AS CHRISTIANS.&nbsp;&nbsp; Is this really the case?

If the papers are to be believed then Jade has been reading her Bible over the past few weeks. This suggests to me that the Christening is very much about being a Christian - and not an excuse for more publicity.

From what her agent Max CLifford has said, Jade wants the boys christened so they feel part of the christian family and can welcome God into their life. Its about giving them reassurance that their mum is happy and gone to live in Heaven. & is being cared for. If this is how Jade feels will help her children then so be it.
Many people turn to God in their hour of need, why shouldnt Jade?

From what i've seen of Jack he has been with Jade for a long time, taken on two young children who are not his & is now supporting his wife in every way she can. Often its just as hard, if not harder for those family members who are close to someone terminally ill. Who knows what poor Jack is going through but he is by Jades side 100%. Say what you like about her she is a good mum and i cant imagine she would be with Jack if he wasnt good for her boys. I hope he will continue to be as much a part of the boys life as he is now. What a shame that after their mum dies, the boys will lose jack too.

I can't really see that he is a very good role model IMHO :-)

practising Christians  I am always intrigued by this terminology. ( not having a go at you Margot honestly just interested in general)

I would imagine today more than ever it is hard to say who is christian and who isn't. I would imagine that there is a bigger % of Christian people that have good strong christian values but don't go to church on a weekly, monthly or even annually basis for a variety of reasons.  Would than make them less Christian? ( again not directed at you just an observation)

Beats up at 16 year old with a golf club, is accused of countless affairs, criminal record....

i have a criminal record...i have had countless affairs does this mean i am not a good mother? does this mean i shouldnt have brought up 4 children? none have taken drugs none have had children underage all are in work none have claimed benefits! so once again i ask does this make me a bad mother? people who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones!
she loves him he loves her, her kids adore him she is going to die very soon and to be honest she should go out the way she chooses! it may be wrong or right it doesnt matter though as long as she is happy in her final weeks..
good luck to her

I'm not sure that Carla is living in a glass house on this one :-D 
I don't think he is a good role model either but I doubt he will remain that involved with the children and nor do I think he should.  He is very young and ought to be free to forge new relationships in the future without the responsibility of children, who have a father, complicating matters.

Having lost my OH to cancer I have to agree that different people cope with their illness in different ways. Not all terminally ill cancer patients lose weight - my husband's legs looked like sticks at the end but the rest of him was very bloated from the drugs he was on. Up until 3 months before he died an outsider would not have known that he was so seriously ill and it was only after the cancer had spread to a third area that it really hit home that he was going to die.

For our family even when you have been told there are not going to be many more tomorrows you can still secretly believe that the medical profession has got it all wrong, that you will be part of one of the miracles you read about and that your life will go back to normal. But then you get to the stage where you know that you have fought your last battle and it is at that point that you start to reassess your life and begin to understand that time is not on your side. Some people find God at these times even if religion has not played a major part in their lives previously, other people find different things to help them through difficult times. I know from my own point of view that I now hold some completely different views and values to those I, and we as a family, held before.

I don't think any of us should be judging Jade nor her actions. None of us know how we will react to anything until we are put in to that situation and often we can surprise ourselves as to how we react to it. Whoever she was previously or whatever she may have done I will view her as yet another victim of a terrible disease who is doing their best to cope with it in their own way and to try and provide for her children who will be left behind without their beloved mum.

I certainly would not condemn her for dealing with such a sad and difficult situation in the way that she has chosen - it is her way and we should respect that.

Excellent post Harley.

> Some people find God at these times even if religion has not played a major part in their lives previously, other people find different things to help them through difficult times. I know from my own point of view that I now hold some completely different views and values to those I, and we as a family, held before.
>

Yes completely agree :)

>Some people find God at these times even if religion has not played a major part in their lives previously

They say there are no atheists on a battlefield.

Hang on, I stated a few facts about him - where did I say he's a bad role model or a bad father?