| Arneldo |
15-03-2009 09:23 AM |
Jade: It is now a matter of hours
Quote:
CANCER victim Jade Goody was last night just hours from death.
Frail and weak, the desperately-ill star is not expected to live beyond tomorrow.
As family and close friends gathered at her bedside yesterday one pal warned: “It IS now a matter of hours, she has deteriorated dramatically overnight. Sadly she is very close to the end.”
The friend then told how, when the truth sank in on Friday night, reality TV star Jade cried out in terror, screaming for husband Jack Tweed.
“One of the problems is she’s terrified of falling asleep because she’s afraid she’ll never wake up,” said the source.
“That means she completely exhausts herself. It was terrible.”
New hubby Jack, 21, revealed how he, too, panicked when told Jade’s condition had taken a turn for the worse on Friday.
Fearing it was all over, he dashed to his wife’s bedside at her home in Upshire, Essex, after asking Home Office officials to lift the curfew imposed after his early release from a jail sentence for assault.
“When I got the call I was absolutely terrified,” he said. “The thought that our fairytale could be over already filled me with dread and sadness.”
Big Brother legend Jade’s spokesman Max Clifford confirmed: “She has deteriorated. She is very weak. The answer is, who knows? We are on the edge of a precipice.” All but close family and friends have been told Jade, just 27, can no longer see visitors.
The new curfew rules set by hubby Jack’s parole officers mean he can stay with her round-the-clock rather than having to report to his mother’s house 30 minutes away.
And late last night Jade’s grandparents Sylvia and John were expected to join the vigil.
Yesterday Jade’s mum Jackiey Budden was in tears as she passed on the sad news to pals that her daughter knew her precious time was finally up.
Jade was asleep most of the day but when Jackiey emerged to let in nursing staff she was clearly distraught.
A friend said: “She’s been crying her eyes out, she’s been in floods of tears because she too realises it’s nearly the end of the road.
“The family were told maybe Jade would make it to Tuesday but after such a bad night that’s been revised to Monday and maybe sooner.
“She’s in a very bad way and has been in so much awful pain.
“They’ve given her a lot of medication and she’s been in a deep sleep most of the day and hasn’t woken up.
“But Jade’s getting weaker and weaker and is looking very pale.
“We all knew it was getting close when she couldn’t even raise a smile or give a thumbs-up when she was taken home from hospital on Wednesday.
"She’s gone downhill a lot since then and everyone around her is really upset. Her mum Jackiey is in pieces.
“Everyone knew this was going to happen, but it’s still desperately sad.”
Reality TV favourite Jade is being cared for by a team of dedicated specialist nurses.
And yesterday Jackiey, 50, just couldn’t stop herself giving the carer who looked after her daughter overnight a huge cuddle. The emotional mum clasped the departing carer tightly before opening the gates to the house at 9.20am.
Behind her sunglasses Jackiey looked drained and exhausted. She couldn’t bring herself to talk about Jade’s worsening condition but she was there manning the front door when two extra medics arrived at 11.30am.
In a brief snatched escape from all the stress, Jackiey later took a 10-minute afternoon trip to the local post office and supermarket to buy some lottery tickets but it was all too much for her and she burst into tears again.
She was then taken for a drive by close family friend, and Jade’s personal trainer, Kevin Adams. to buy fresh flowers as a gift for the nurses.
More flowers, in the shape of two bouquets from well-wishers, arrived later in the day.
Then came a moment of unwanted drama as two born-again Christians trespassed onto the property and shouted up at Jade’s window in an attempt to speak to the ailing star. But the women were ushered away by a concerned neighbour.
The tension rose again at about 5.30pm when a doctor arrived in a silver Audi and, carrying his medical bag, entered the house. He left at about 7.50pm.
With time slipping away fast, Jade has already planned her funeral, insisting it should be a celebration of her life.
She wants a traditional burial and a service will be held at a church near her home.
Jade’s spokesman said: “The funeral will be a reflection of how she’s lived in the last seven years (since she first found fame in Big Brother)—full on.
“She wants to say farewell to anyone who wants to be there. It will mirror the happiest seven years of her life.
“There will be tears, but a lot of love and laughter as well.”
Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty is making a dramatic dash from India in a bid to see Jade one last time before she dies. The pair clashed on 2007 Celebrity Big Brother, but later became friends.
Jade was starring on India’s version of the show, hosted by Shilpa, when she was told she was suffering from cervical cancer last August. At first she was given a reasonable chance of survival but her cancer spread quickly.
Yesterday, there was no sign of Jade’s two sons, five-year-old Bobby and Freddie, four, who are being looked after by relatives. The boys visited their mum on Thursday with their father, Jade’s former partner TV presenter Jeff Brazier.
Knowing the situation, Jade discharged herself from the Royal Marsden Hospital on Wednesday so she could spend these final days at home with her loved ones all around her.
She has tried to keep life as normal as possible for her children, insisting they keep to their school routine.
A friend said: “Jade’s been incredibly brave and is just so pleased that she was able to marry Jack in time and be christened with her boys.
“Those were her final wishes so that she could be close to them when she’s gone.”
The boys and Jack are expected to spend all of today with Jade for a low-key Mothers’ Day, which they will celebrate a week early because of her worsening condition.
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