Jess LOVED cake! Both baking and eating them. To celebrate her birthday this October we would like to invite you to buy a slice of ‘invisible’ cake. Your ‘invisible’ cake might be a creamy confection from a bakery, a piece of your favourite cake served in a tea shop, a tray bake in the form of a chocolate brownie or fruit flapjack, or even an exquisite 3 tiered creation served in a fancy hotel or restaurant. You can be sure what ever you choose, Jess would approve of them all! We would love to know what piece of invisible cake you are donating, so please feel free to tell us in your comments. As this particular cake is 100% calorie-free and every penny will be donated to Jess’ charity, you can afford to feel especially good about this particular indulgence.

For those of you who do not know Jess, here’s a little bit more information to explain why she is so special.

Jess radiated kindness and positivity. She was gentle, funny, courageous, and loving, without question, a beautiful person inside and out. In addition to delicious cakes, Jess loved so many things, walking in the woods, pink blossom on trees, herbal teas, preparing travel itineraries, lighting fragrant candles, relaxing baths, fairy lights, fluffy, flat-faced cats, creating and making, films, books, and musicals. She was meticulous in her organisation and planning and recorded all her aspirations and goals in a journal. She was undoubtedly a precious gift; we were so privileged and proud to call her our daughter.

During the summer of 2020, Jess began to feel unwell. Ever proactive in dealing with her health, Jess sought medical support whilst also doing all she physically could to ease her increasingly debilitating symptoms. Despite her proactive steps, by the time Jess was diagnosed at the end of November, it was too late to treat her advanced and aggressive cancer. During the 3 weeks Jess was in hospital she taught us so much about grace, humanity, dignity, and bravery. Devastatingly, she lost her life on 20th December 2020 aged just 27 years. Nothing could ever prepare us or can ever console us.

It is so important to us that Jess is remembered and she continues to make a difference. She was passionate about raising awareness. In trying to make sense of what has happened, we recognise that Jess’ young age was a major stumbling block in achieving an accurate diagnosis. Our unexpected journey with Jess has highlighted the need for more support, funding, and research. We created the Jessica Brady CEDAR Trust to support earlier cancer diagnosis by improving awareness amongst medical professionals, in GP surgeries, through training and research. Currently, we are working alongside the Royal College of General Practitioners to create a training module for GPs. We have so much more planned for the future and, as our charity continues to grow, we hope we will help save many lives.

Thank you so much for making a difference and remembering Jess.