Why we should be grateful to Jade Goody

Yes, I've made lots of jokes and remarks at Jade Goody's expense in the past. Oh how we laughed at Graham Norton taking the mickey out of her!

And yes, when she started her cancer treatment I did wonder if her main motive in making it public was to grab a bit of publicity.

But now, it seems her cancer has taken a turn for the worse. And, of course, one feels enormous sympathy for her and her young family. It is an awful, tragic situation.

But, sadly, it is one faced by many families around the country everyday. I have lost three friends from cancer in the last year - all of them in their forties with young families. And through some voluntary work I do, I hear of cases of parents of young children facing terminal cancer over and over again.

So is it helping anyone to have Jade's agony spread over the media? I think it is. I think she is doing us all a service and I salute her for it. The more the tragic effects of cancer are brought home to us, the more it becomes part of our lives, the better we will be prepared for it if it happens to us or our families or friends and, hopefully, the more we will dig into our pockets to help cancer research charities.

If nothing else, Jade, a lady in her twenties (for goodness sake!) provides us with a lesson that we can all do with reminding about everyday:

This day could be our last.

It's not a bad thought to have in your mind - it tends to put things in exactly the right perspective.