Cancer Still Sucks

I consider myself a bit of a Subject Matter Expert (or SME in consulting speak) on the subject of British tabloids. I first discovered them when I spied a copy of Heat magazine at Tower Records (RIP) in King of Prussia, with the grinning visage of Robbie Williams on the cover back in 2001.

Since then, I’ve become well versed in the travails of Kerry Katona, her marriage to Mark and her feud with Jordan/Katie Price; the marriage troubles of Cheryl and Ashley Cole; why Fern Britton has alienated many of her fans and I can tell you all about the comeback of Take That – the British New Kids on the Block.

I first read about Jade Goody in 2002, shortly after she became a “personality” on Big Brother, a British reality show that was also adapted in the US. Jade is what one might call “white trash” in the US. Not all that bright (she had ever heard of asparagus) with a big mouth and an even larger personality. She outshone the eventual winner of the series, Kate Lawler (I told you I knew a lot about British tabloids). Her relationship with Jeff Brazier, the man who would father her two children, was headline news. Everything about her was out in the open for all to see – her diets became fodder for workout videos, her life was the subject of a weekly column in Now magainze, even her attempt to earn her driver’s license was part of a reality TV special. She wrote an autobiography in 2006 at the age of 25, and launched two successful fragrances.

In 2007, she entered the Celebrity Big Brother house (basically The Surreal Life for those of you who watch VH1). She and two other house guests sparked a race war, bullying Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty. She left the house in shame and entered rehab to deal with the public rejection.

Her star was definitely in the decline when she entered the Bigg Boss house in August 2008. (Bigg Boss is India’s answer to Big Brother and was hosted by none other than Shilpa Shetty, Jade’s victim who went on to win Celebrity Big Brother.) Jade was in ill health, having suffered a miscarriage shortly after leaving rehab and was undergoing medical tests. Her income was down – her autobiography and fragrances were pulled from store shelves after the race war – and she was hoping for a comeback.

Shortly after entering the house, Jade was called into the diary room, basically a confessional/interrogation room for the contestants. There isn’t any footage of what she was told – but her reaction when she emerged was heart breaking. While in the diary room, Jade was connected with her doctors and was told that she had cervical cancer at the age of 27. I watched the footage on You Tube, and I felt myself getting teary. Watching what should have been a private moment, the aftermath of learning one has a potentially terminal disease, was hard to watch.

Jade returned to the UK for surgery, but not without first giving exclusive interviews about her diagnosis and prognosis, and inking a deal for a reality TV show. I’ll be honest, I was skeptical. I’m not sure if I would be on the phone to the editors of People after getting diagnosed with cancer, but as she pointed out, she couldn’t earn any money while undergoing treatment.

In December a bald Jade Goody was photographed with her two young sons, aged 4 and 5. She said that her prognosis wasn’t great and that she was planning her funeral. She explained that her interviews and TV shows were to earn money for her son’s future.

In February of this year it was announced that Jade’s cancer had spread from her cervix to her liver, bowl and groin, and that her life expectancy was weeks rather than years. A cure was out of the question. She cameras continued to follow her - recording the toll that cancer and chemotheraphy had taken on her body.

Over the years, I’ve been lax with getting my annual pap smear. The excuses have been varied – I’ve got my period, I don’t have time, and, ready for that old chestnut? I’ve gained weight and I don’t want to hear my doctor scold me.

I had my recent pap smear in November 2008 and thankfully, it was normal. I have it on my calendar now to schedule my appointment yearly. I have been eligible to get a pap smear every year since the age of 17, in the UK, only women between the ages of 25 and 64 can get one every three to five years. I’m ashamed that I haven’t always availed myself to this test even though it has been at my disposal. I’ll make sure that I will get one yearly now.

27 is too young to die. For that matter, so is 33. Cancer has had way too much of a presence in my life this year. I owe it to myself, my family and my friends to take care of this body that I’ve neglected.

Joe – thanks again for reminding me how much smoking sucks, and for giving me the strength to resist that desire to puff away. Jade – we’ll never meet, but I thank you for having the guts to live out your remaining days to show what cancer does to someone. Bob – my friend who is recovering from a bone marrow transplant – you will win. You are stronger than Cancer.

Cancer, you are still officially on notice. Game on.