Goodbye Jade

Jade Goody

1981-2009

Goodbye Jade. I'd like to say she'll finally be out of the spotlight, but I hope not. I hope young women everywhere realize how important your sexual health is and that is is paramount to get a pap smear and to report anything unusual to your doctor. And if your smear comes back abnormal, it could be nothing, but go back for a follow up.

I also really hope that England and Wales lower their test age from 25; personally I think 20 is too high in Scotland. I've known far too many people under 25 with precancerous cells and I find it ridiculous that they think that there are too many cellular changes in young women and that the paperwork and retests of false bad paps are too much a hassle. I fully believe that all women should begin getting smears at the age of 18 or when they become sexually active. I'm not a doctor, but that's my belief.

It's been sad watching Jade's health decline in the media and I'm not going to speculate what could have happened if she'd followed up her bad pap smear, but I do hope that her ordeal will open the eyes of others and help them preventing the same happening to themselves.