Death always evokes fear, akin to the fear of the unknown. Some religious philosophies consider death as the end of the road in the present life and passage to another life, while some regard it as the Day of Judgment when the deeds of the person are evaluated by the Creator and he is either rewarded, or punished. In rare cases, death becomes instrumental in elevating the person to immortality, while overshadowing all the misdeeds he/she had committed when alive. Such is the case of Jade Goody, the celebrated British TV star of the reality show, 'Big Brother 3', who died on 22 March, 2009 (Mother's day in UK), of cervical cancer, at the age of 27 years. 
She was the product of a broken home, her father being a drug addict and habitual criminal, who served prison sentences. Her mother and father split when she was two years old. Her mother brought her up in Bermondsey. She had an intense relationship with TV presenter and fellow reality television regular, Jeff Brazier, with whom she had two sons born in 2003 and the following year. In 2005, she had a six month relationship with footballer, Ryan Amoo. She was subsequently in a relationship with Jack Tweed, who appeared alongside her on the 'Big Brother' show. In June 2007, she suffered a miscarriage, during the relationship.
Jade Goody shot to fame in 2002, as a contestant in 'Big Brother 3', becoming a figure of ridicule in the media. She was depicted as a pig by one tabloid and denounced for being two-faced and ignorant. In 2007, she made the headlines again, when she was accused of racism towards the Indian actress, Shilpa Shetty, in the UK version of 'Big Brother'. She was eventually removed from the show in the wake of widespread public protests. She became the most hated TV star in UK.
In 2002, shortly before her 'Big Brother 3' appearance, she had a cervical smear test which revealed abnormal cells, a possible indicator of cancer. She was later tested for ovarian cancer in 2004 and bowel cancer in 2006, but, was given all-clear on both occasions. She underwent hospital tests in early August 2008, after she had collapsed four times. In the meantime, she had publicly apologized for her conduct in passing racist remarks against the Indian actress and was invited to participate in the Indian version of 'Big Brother' called, 'Big Boss', as a gesture of goodwill. On 19 August, she was told that the earlier tests confirmed that she had cervical cancer. On 4 February, 2009, tests revealed that her cancer had spread to her liver, bowel and groin. On 14 February, doctors at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, declared her cancer as terminal and gave her few weeks to survive.
Goody was devastated when she heard it. She began drawing up a will for the future care of her two sons. On 5 March, 2009, she requested to be christened and on 7 March, she and her two sons were christened. Her illness aroused tremendous publicity, as a result of which the government health minister agreed to review the NHS's policy of not offering screening for cervical cancer until the age of 25, in England. Goody issued a press statement on the same day, saying she was "immensely proud" that she had helped prompt the review. It was reported that there was a surge in requests from young women, for screening for cervical cancer.
Goody's cancer diagnosis saw her being propelled back into the public eye and she continued to give interviews talking about her cancer battle. The TV channel 'Living' even commissioned a three-part series, which followed the star and documented her living with the illness. She defended selling her story, saying she was trying to earn a living for her children. She told the 'News of the World':
"I've lived my whole adult life talking about my life. The only difference is that I'm talking about my death now. It's OK. I've lived in front of the cameras. And maybe I'll die in front of them. And I know some people don't like what I am doing, but at this point, I really don't care what other people think. Now, it's about what I want."
Goody died in her sleep in the early hours of 22 March. Her mother, Jack Tweed her husband, whom she married on 22 February, 2009, were by her bedside when she died. Her funeral service took place on 4 April, 2009 and evoked tremendous response from people in all walks of life, which included several celebrities. It was broadcast live on Sky News and was followed by thousands of mourners on big screens outside the church. A spokeswoman from Cancer Research commented on Jade Goody's legacy, on the day of her funeral:
"Jade's story has raised awareness of cervical cancer which has led to hundreds of thousands of people contacting Cancer Research, UK, for information on the disease"
The Most Rev. Jonathan Blake, Primate of the Open Episciopal Church, prophesied that Jade's grave in Upshire, Essex, will become a place of pilgrimage. Many people with cancer and other troubles will pray to her for help and be comforted. Thus, the 'bad girl' of British TV has been immortalized like a saint, and her death was only a parody.
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Comments: 23
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Thanks Shelbia, I agree with your comments. The only point I wish to make is that most people suffering from terminal cancer, prefer to spend their last days quietly, in the company of their near relatives, whereas, in this case, she made even her sufferings a TV show to derive maximum publicity. Perhaps, this has helped others in many ways.
Maybe she did things that others didn't like.
But, no one should suffer and have to die because of cancer.
I don't care if she was the most racist, slovenly jerk of the century.
I would still bad for her when she became sick.
And, would mourn her death as a bad tragedy.
But, at least something good came for her. And, she made peace with herself and apologized that woman she wronged.
I applaud her for having the courage to speak out and have something to take care of her kids.
"Health ministers bowed to the Jade Goody effect yesterday, announcing a review of the age at which cervical cancer screening should start in England. Pressure from medical charities and the media has prompted ministers to look again at whether screening should start at 20 instead of 25. England, where screening starts at 25, is out of line with the rest of the UK where the starting age is 20. But the Government's cancer tsar, Professor Mike Richards, said people should not anticipate the review's outcome, "Lets be clear, we have said we will undertake a formal review of the evidence. We are not committing ourselves to a change in policy," he said yesterday."
"Goody, 27, a reality TV star, is thought to have only weeks to live after being told her cervical cancer is terminal. Publicity around her case has already led to a surge in demand for screening in some hospitals. Until 2003, cervical screening in England began at 20 but this was raised to 25 after research emerged of its negative effects. Changes to the cervix are common in women under 25 but they are mostly harmless. If detected they can lead to unnecessary treatment, with the removal of tissue from the cervix increasing the risk of a later premature birth, especially for younger women. The NHS cancer screening service says there are fewer than 50 cases of cancer a year in the under 25s (1.7 per cent of all cervical cancers in women under 70) and fewer than five deaths."
Anyway, I am now 59, and living in the USA, so it is of no use to me! I am glad they are screening younger to catch that slim margain of women.