Heartbreak at the death of brave and dignified Jade (24)
Hundreds of people attended a humanist funeral ceremony in Killiney last Saturday afternoon for Greystones woman Jade McCann.
Jade, also known as Jayda, died at around 5 a.m. last Thursday morning at Blackrock Hospice, peacefully, surrounded by her family and her partner.
The young woman had been battling an incurable stage four pecoma cancer.
Jade (24) is survived by her parents Anthony and Kim, brother Eóin, partner Bren, extended family and friends. She was a beauty and well-being influencer and a gifted singer.
‘She meant a lot to a lot of people,’ said Sharon Felton, who organised fundraising events for Jade and got to know the young woman over the past year.
The events included a wine and cheese afternoon, a coffee morning, and ‘Jade’s Glitter Ball’. The event date was coincidentally set for the date of Jade’s 24th birthday last August.
‘I admire her courage and strength so much,’ said Sharon. The ball was arranged to raise money for treatment, as well as to give Jade and her family a night to remember.
Sharon said that the goodwill towards Jade was made evident by the people who came forward to help in any way they could, all of those who attended, and the amount of prizes donated for the raffle.
‘People did pull together and it shows that people really cared for her.
‘For a 24-year-old to have such dignity and share her a story made me look up to her,’ said Sharon.
Jade shared her cancer journey on Instagram, informing her followers what was happening every step of the way. ‘It really touches my heart that she is gone,’ said Sharon. ‘I hope that I will stay in touch with her mum and dad.’
Sharon has set up a gofundme.ie page to help the McCann family cover the funeral expenses. ‘They lost their most beautiful daughter to cancer and this is my way of showing them we all care,’ she wrote on the page. Any money left over will be going to Blackrock Hospice. Over €2,400 had been raised atthetimeofgoingtoprint.
Jade had planned the details of her funeral ceremony, which took place at the Fitzpatrick Castle hotel in Killiney on Saturday.
She was brought to the ceremony in a pink coffin. Mourners viewed a short video with moments from her life. Many present were from her parents’ home town of Sallynoggin.
The minister told mourners that while Jade had a short life, she had lived it to the full and was an extraordinary woman. Her mum Kim read a serenity prayer. There was a private cremation later at Mount Jerome before a further celebration of her life that evening in Killiney.
Actor John Connors is among those to have paid tribute to Jade, revealing that he has been working on a documentary about her story for the past 18 months. ‘This documentary film is for her and is a part of her very important legacy,’ he wrote on Facebook. ‘She had talent to burn and unlimited potential for life.
‘She was an incredible singer, songwriter and she was so articulate and charismatic too. She could of made it big in a number of careers. She was a warrior in every sense of the word and fought hard to the end.’