jade goody

Has Jade's story affected the way that people think about cancer?

We are very sad to hear of Jade’s death and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this devastating time. Every single death from cancer is a tragedy, and cervical cancer claims the lives of around a thousand women – mothers, wives, sisters and daughters – each year in the UK.

Jade’s brave, and very public, battle with an aggressive form of cervical cancer has received widespread media attention and encouraged thousands of women to seek advice about symptoms and screening.

I met Jade at our Pink Ice ball in 2007, and remember her as a vivacious and bubbly young woman. She could not have known then that her legacy would be great public service in raising awareness of the importance of cervical screening.

It is critical that young women take up their invitations for screening if we are to cut the death toll from cervical cancer. Last year, hundreds of thousands of women in the UK did not go for screening when they were invited.

Cancer Research UK is absolutely determined to reduce the number of people dying from all types of cancer. Through our ambitious 5-year strategy we aim to gain a better understanding of cancer, improve prevention and screening, diagnose cancer earlier and develop better treatments for the disease.

Together we will beat cancer.

Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK

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