Jade Goody finally passed away this morning, on Mothers Day of all days. A bit poignant since the whole thrust of the media circus that has developed around her was designed to generate as much money for her sons before she died.
She has received criticism from some quarters, decrying her cynical exploitation of her illness for financial gain. I would be prone to agree that it's all a bit unsavoury if she was exploiting a relationship break up or one of those celebrity breakdowns which bear no resemblance to a normal persons breakdown ie it's over very quickly and you only have the strength to write a book about it or film a reality TV during it!! The fact is Jade Goody illness being exploited was in fact a terminal one. A bit extreme for even the most desperate publicity seeker. In the same dreadful situation I would milk it for everything my family could get. I'd have Max Clifford living in my house pulling the strings and getting every last penny for my wife and kids before, during and after my death. There have been several serious personalities and journalists in recent times who have documented their decline to cancer albeit in a more dignified fashion, but have exploited it none the less. They received no criticism any where near to the level that Jade Goody did. That in my book is double standards.
In the end they all succoumbed to the Illness that has affected virtually every family in the country. The fact that the amount of people requesting check ups in the hope of catching it before it's too late can only be a good thing.
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