Molly Smith

In celebration of Jade Costello

Fundraising for Young Lives vs Cancer
£7,291
raised
In memory of Jade Costello
Young Lives vs Cancer

Verified by JustGiving

RCN 1107328 and SC039857
We help families find the strength to face everything cancer throws at them

Story

On Saturday 25th June 2022, we lost Jade, one of the brightest stars.

She was incredible, kind, caring, sassy, hilarious, an incredible mummy to our gorgeous Mya - her absolute world. An amazing sister, daughter, stepdaughter, friend, and so much more.

She is the strongest person and had to deal with an awful lot of pain over the last few years, so she's finally at peace.

In March 2020, at the age of 39, she was diagnosed with throat cancer within months of having her gorgeous baby girl after years of longing for a baby. After undergoing gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Jade was given the all-clear in September 2020. Life was starting to look up, and she could go on to enjoy her time with her precious daughter. In February 2021, the unimaginable happened when she found a lump and was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer. She thought it would be a walk in the park compared to her throat cancer. After a rollercoaster of almost 12 months of various surgeries, including a single mastectomy and ongoing treatments, her throat cancer returned.

After being told the only surgery available would leave her with no voice and unable to eat again and be left with a tracheostomy, we wouldn't accept this was the only option for a tumour that should be able to be removed. Thankfully, we found a chance at the Royal Marsden with Professor. Vin Palerhi to remove the tumour robotically. This would mean she could keep her voice which was essential to communicate with Mya, her daughter, although she would be left with a damaged swallow and potentially unable to eat again. She went in for surgery on 20th January 2022, a day after finishing her treatment for breast cancer - things were hopefully looking up.

While recovering at the Royal Marsden Hospital, we were hopeful that 2022 would finally be the year we could put cancer behind us as a family and get on with life. Unbelievably, Jade found a lump under her arm on the opposite side of the single mastectomy. She was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, which had spread to her bones.

She was discharged from the Royal Marsden and returned home, where she was referred to the Christie hospital in Manchester to undergo treatment to prolong her life. She always continued fighting and, after lots of research, found hope in a new drug in the states, Trodolvy, that is not yet available on the NHS. Thankfully, Bupa covered the cost, and she began treatment. This would give her a life expectancy of 12-24 months (in the hope of a new cure being available before then). After three rounds and anxiously waiting 12 weeks to understand if the treatment was working, the scan results revealed it hadn't worked, and the cancer had spread elsewhere in her body, including her lungs. Still hopeful, we tried everything, from researching natural cancer fighters to CBD.

Jade began to deteriorate and was given just six weeks to live; only two weeks later, she left this world.

After all the trauma and pain she went through, she was a true warrior and resilient. Remember the beautiful, kind, wild, crazy, loving, caring Jade. She made it clear that she wanted to support the charity 'Young Lives Vs Cancer', so we kindly ask that you donate to this wonderful charity instead of flowers at her celebration of life.

RIP Jade. Life will never be the same without you in it; the world truly lost one of its brightest stars.

❤️ 05/01/1981 - 25/6/2022 ❤️

About the charity

Young Lives vs Cancer

Verified by JustGiving

RCN 1107328 and SC039857
At Young Lives vs Cancer, we help families find the strength to face whatever cancer throws at them. But every day 12 more children and young people hear the devastating news they have cancer. We’ll face it all together – but we can’t do it without you. Visit www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk

Donation summary

Total raised
£7,290.12
+ £1,237.50 Gift Aid
Online donations
£7,290.12
Offline donations
£0.00

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