It is week 3 of my Wonderful Women blog hop and I am so thankful for the wonderful women who are contributing their blog posts on important women in their lives.
The "rules" of the blog hop are really simple. You can do one of two things.
1. Write a blog post about a woman you admire and link up.
2. Link up to a blog post about a woman you think is great from previous posts however old or new.
Simples!
This week I am reflecting on a celebrity and campaigner but any woman will do for your link up as women tend to be pretty amazing.
Jade Goody died two years ago on Mother's Day.
I was not a Big Brother fan so became aware of her probably because for a time she was everywhere on the telly and clearly a big personality.
Like most women in her time, she did not always get things right. Sometimes she was laughed at and dismissed for not being a great intellect. Sometimes people around her let her down.
I imagine most of us can empathise with her on those scores.
I remember her revealing her cancer diagnosis and her determination to live for her boys. Sadly, she could not beat the cancer but she really lived in the time she had left.
What I liked about her was how she stuck her head above the parapet and campaigned to raise awareness of cervical cancer. There must have being many days when she did not feel well enough to speak out or be filmed but she did it anyway.
I also liked the way she made it clear that she wanted her children to have a good education. It is easy to value education when you have it easily, less so and more impressive when you don't.
Where were you heard the news of Jade's death?
I was just entering Pickering on the way to celebrate Mother's Day with my own mother who was terminally ill with cancer. It was a beautiful sunny day and really difficult to believe that all could not be well in the world. We knew my Mum would not see another Mother's Day.
My children walked in with pansies in pots for my Mum and she loved them. She was still well enough to be in her chair and to be able to go out in the garden. Every word and moment was heightened emotionally. Terminal illness is exhausting for all those involved in it. Everything becomes sort of technicolor especially in the heart.
I clearly remember my Mum (also an impressive woman as you can see from my post about her in Week 1 of this blog hop below) saying how it was fair enough that she should die in her eighties but a real tragedy that Jade had gone so young.
Jade has made us all think more about cervical cancer and hopefully we are all more inclined to go for our smear tests. They are not pleasant and I hate how doctors will pretend they are only mildly discomforting. That is not my experience and I tend to get told off for having my cervix in the wrong place. God, the things us women get rebuked for!
Anyway, here's to Jade and all she achieved in an all too short life.
What woman do you admire?
What celebrity has made a difference?
Please link up a blog post or leave a comment below.
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So sad about Jade Goody. She certainly made me think about going to a smear test. RIP
ReplyDeleteI was going through Cancer at the same time as Jade and at times could not watch her fly on the wall documentary. The strange thing was I did the London Marathon in 2006 and ran past her and said hello. I remeber the day she died I was hoovering my car I came back into the house and had radio 1 on and knew what they were going to say.
ReplyDeleteTracey
www.tracey-confessionsofamother.blogspot.com