We’ll have a life-size cut out of my daughter at the Christmas table after she died of cancer at just 19
FROM swapping Secret Santa gifts to decorating the tree, Christmas was always Jodie Williams’ favourite time of the year. So, when the teenager tragically died of cancer earlier this year, her family was determined to include her. They’ve created a life-size cardboard cut-out of the 19-year-old so she can be in their Christmas photos – […]
FROM swapping Secret Santa gifts to decorating the tree, Christmas was always Jodie Williams’ favourite time of the year.
So, when the teenager tragically died of cancer earlier this year, her family was determined to include her.
They’ve created a life-size cardboard cut-out of the 19-year-old so she can be in their Christmas photos – and she’ll even have her own place at the dinner table.
Her mum June, from Sherwood, Nottingham, told The Sun Online: “It’s not how other families might do it and it might freak some people out, but Jodie would have loved it.
“We joke that she’s never going to age in the photos over the years but that we will – she would enjoy that as she had a dark sense of humour.”
Double blow
Jodie was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma – an aggressive and rare type of cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue – just before Christmas 2017.
When she found out the disease was terminal she hosted a farewell party in June this year but sadly died minutes after getting home.
Just six months before her diagnosis, Jodie was at an Ariana Grande concert when a terrorist stormed the Manchester Arena and killed 22 innocent people.
The teen managed to feel her way out of the smoke-filled building and was physically unharmed.
But the trauma of the attack left her suffering with anxiety and scared to be alone.
Her mum June says Jodie was just starting to enjoy life again when she started to feel unwell.
“She had pains in her arms, and I knew something was really wrong when we were on holiday and she didn’t want to do anything,” she said.
“She kept being sick and she went to see a doctor when we were back.”
Jodie was referred for X-rays but they kept coming back clear.
Eventually, in November 2017, she was sent for blood tests before being told she needed a CT scan.
It revealed she had cancer.
Brave teen
“I remember the day they came and told us. Jodie was awesome. She just took it all in her stride.
“The only time she got upset was when her hair fell out.”
Jodie had to start treatment almost straight away but it made for a tough Christmas that year.
I remember the day they came and told us. Jodie was awesome. She just took it all in her stride
June
June said: “Because of the chemo, she was sick quite a lot on Christmas Day and she felt really sleepy.
“But she always tried to lighten the mood for others, so when we set up a game of Frustration and we were discussing who was going to go first she said; ‘I get to go first, I’ve got cancer’.
“There was silence and then we all burst out laughing.”
Jodie had 14 rounds of intensive chemotherapy over the next 12 months – and at one point suffered a bad reaction to one of them.
But she managed to keep smiling, turning to humour as her way to cope.
She was having chemo in the run up to Christmas last year but the treatment was really taking its toll.
June said: “They thought they may have to keep her in hospital over Christmas.
“But she was determined to get out and they released her late on Christmas Eve.
“Even though she was very ill, she made the best of it over Christmas as she always wanted to make things better for other people.”
She continued with her treatment and seemed to be doing well.
Devastating blow
But in May this year, the family was given the devastating news that her cancer was terminal.
“We thought the chemo was helping because it took away the pain,” June said.
“Then she had a PET scan and it showed ‘no significant change’.
“A consultant told us that the chemo wasn’t working – and warned that any more chemo would be fatal.
“We were devastated but Jodie never gave up hope.
“We didn’t ask how long she had left as we didn’t want to be counting down the time.
“She had a gladiator spirit and kept going for us. She never said that she was scared or that it wasn’t fair, and she didn’t want people to feel sorry for her.
“She said it can make you sad if you want it to, but that you can make yourself feel better if you keep doing things you love.”
The family tried to fit in as much as they could and booked a holiday to Mablethorpe, Lincs, plus she went to see Olly Murs in concert.
They also decide to throw a massive party for her in June to celebrate her life while she was still here.
What is Ewing's Sarcoma?
EWING’S sarcoma is a rare form of cancer that typically affects the bones and the tissues around the bones of young people and children.
The condition was responsible for the death of 27-year-old Holly Butcher, who penned an emotional letter before she died reminding people to cherish their life.
It’s more common in males and mainly affects children and young people aged from 10 to 20.
The main areas affected by Ewing’s sarcoma are the legs (around the knees), pelvis, arms, ribs and spine.
As the condition is so rare and can often require complicated treatment, you may be referred to a specialist team for your care.
Symptoms include bone pain, which may get worse over time and at night, a tender lump or swelling and a high temperature that doesn’t go away.
Sufferers may also feel tired all the time and experience weight loss.
As bones tend to be weaker, they are susceptible to breakage, with many people being diagnosed after a fracture.
Several tests are needed to find out which areas of the body are affected, including X-rays, blood tests, an MRI scan, a CT scan or a PET scan.
Treatment involves a combination of chemotherapy (where medicine kills cancer cells), radiotherapy (where radiation is used to kill cells) or surgery to remove the affected area.
Many people have chemotherapy to shrink the cancer, followed by surgery to remove the majority of the affected cells, followed by further chemotherapy to remove leftover cells.
More than half of people diagnosed with the cancer live at least five years after being diagnosed, but the outlook depends on the individual case.
Cancer can often return after treatment, so regular check-ups will be required.
Sarcoma UK runs a support line for people living with, or who are affected by, all forms of sarcoma including Ewing’s.
June said: “Some people may think it’s morbid, but she said she could enjoy this, but she would miss her wake.
“By now she had been moved to a hospice and despite being really poorly, she was determined to go.
“We had two nurses accompany her and when she walked into the room, her face just lit up.
“There were about 150 people there and they were all linking hands and singing songs.
“She was determined to stay all night and she was the last to leave at half 12.”
Tragic
Tragically, when they got back to the hospice Jodie died a few minutes after getting into bed.
June said: “She shut her eyes and she didn’t wake up.
“We kept saying we wish we had five more minutes with her but she wouldn’t have wanted us to be sobbing over her.
She shut her eyes and she didn’t wake up
June
“The last memory all her friends and most of her family have of her was her having fun at her party.
“That’s how she wanted people to remember her, she didn’t want their last memories of her to be them holding hands around her bed and crying.”
June said that Christmas will be tough for the family because it was Jodie that brought them all together.
“It’s been hard carrying on without her here and it wrecked me going into town when all of the Christmas decorations and presents started to appear,” she said.
“Jodie always wrote really detailed lists of what she wanted and where to get it from, but I don’t have a list from her this year.
“She also loved Gavin and Stacey and would have loved to have watched the special that’s on this Christmas.
“It will upset me to watch it live, but I will watch it for her at some point.”
Inspiration
Jodie was such a big fan of Gavin and Stacey that she had asked for a cardboard cut-out of James Corden for Christmas – weeks before she discovered she had cancer.
June said: “We did get her one and she had some fun moving it around and scaring the staff.”
In fact, that was where the idea for getting a life-size cut-out of Jodie came from.
June added: “She had a James Corden cut-out and for her party a friend got her an Ariana Grande one too.
The cut out is a good chance she can be in a photo with us – she would love that, she would find it weird and touching
June
“So we had a James and an Ariana and when she died we put them in the hearse at her funeral.
“Then her sisters said to me we should have got one of Jodie.
“And I thought well, why not. It’s just like a big photo.
“When we first got it we had a night in with it and we started taking photos with it.
MORE ON CANCER
“We were like actually she will never be forgotten.
“It’s a good chance she can be in a photo with us – she would love that, she would find it weird and touching.
“We always have our Christmas Dinner on Boxing Day – we call it Boxmas – so we’ll be doing that again this year and we’ll set a place for Jodie.”
June is supporting Teenage Cancer Trust’s Christmas fundraising appeal to help more young people and their families affected by all types of cancer – visit www.teenagecancertrust.org/christmas to donate