Celebration of Life for inspirational Vanessa
I doubt there are many people in South Ayrshire who hadn’t heard of Vanessa Riddle and her long, brave battle with cancer. Sadly, it was a battle she lost.
Her family described her as “inspirational”– but a single word was never going to sum up the courage of Vanessa and the support she gathered through the sheer power of her personality.
I’m told one of Vanessa’s private goals was to make it to her eighteenth birthday. That she missed her target by a handful of days probably makes the sadness that little bit harder to bear for all who knew her.
Dad Chris said “We are privileged to have had such an inspirational and beautiful daughter”.
But family friends have told me that Chris, wife Connie and sister Olivia were also “inspirational”.
“No family could have given more in terms of time and love. They will be heartbroken – but they should also be happy in what they achieved. Connie would smile when I could barely hide my tears. They went through so much – the highs and the very lows – but they did it together as a family”. I hope the Celebration of Life for Vanessa, a week on Friday at Troon Town Hall, is as noisy and colourful as Vanessa would have wanted it. Her family deserve it too.
It is an example of a law that’s out of place, out of date and out of order