Jade Goody

though i never really followed her life (she was a UK reality TV star and i live in Croatia and don't like reality TV shows), but this story did astonish me. how someone so young could die from a disease, most doctors will tell you is nothing to worry about. proves them wrong, doesn't it.
she was born on June 5, 1981 and passed away on March 22, 2009..making her only 27 years of age at her time of death. it is upsetting how she had battled with poor health since 2002 and the doctors could find nothing wrong until 2008.
a short outline of the events:
2002- cervical pap test that revealed abnormal cells...possibility of cancer.
2004- tested for ovarian cancer..came back negative
2006- tested for bowel cancer..came back negative
2008- went for hospital tests after collapsing for the 4th time....diagnosis...cervical cancer.

why was she not checked for cervical cancer in 2002? if she was, it is not mentioned in the articles that i have read. perhaps they made a mistake and don't want to admit it. though admitting to ignorance is worse, i believe.
here is a quote from her spokesperson upon the cancer diagnosis in august 2008 while she was on the show Big Boss (Indian version of Big Brother) : "It looks like her cancer is at an early stage but we will have to wait until she gets back to Britain and sees a specialist and has more tests".
i was told that as well, as i am sure a lot of us who were diagnosed were told.
as early as September 1, 2008, she was told that the cancer was in advanced stages and her survival chance was 65 percent. after months of surgery and chemotherapy, she lost her battle and her life.
our hearts and thoughts go out to the family and friends of jade goody and all women who have fought the battle of cervical cancer. i will end this post with a quote from wikipedia:
"When news broke that Goody's cancer was terminal, medical authorities in the UK began reporting a surge in requests from women, particularly younger women, for screening for cervical cancer. This reversed a trend which had seen demand for screening decline overall in the past decade, with the highest decline being among women aged 25-29. As a result of the publicity surrounding Goody's illness, on 13 March 2009 government health ministers agreed to review the NHS's policy of not offering screening for cervical cancer until the age of 25 in England (it is 20 in the rest of the UK). Goody issued a press release the same day, saying that she was "immensely proud" that she had helped prompt the review."