‘If you’re reading this, I have died’: Breast cancer activist who openly shared her battles with deadly disease leaves heartbreaking final message
- Mother-of-two Kate Rackham wrote a message to announce her own death
A mother-of-two who openly shared her battle with cancer left a heartbreaking final message to announce her own death.
Kate Rackham, who was diagnosed with incurable estrogen-sensitive breast cancer at the age of 39, tweeted: “If you’re reading this, I’ve died, but don’t cry for me.”
The teacher, from Morecambe, Lancashire, added: “I lived my life on my own terms, the way I wanted to.”
During her courageous battle against the deadly disease, she shared updates with her 22,000 followers and helped set up the charity Fighting to be Heard to raise awareness of the condition.
Her painful final message yesterday morning read: ‘If you are reading this, it means I have died.
Mum-of-two Kate Rackham wrote a heartbreaking final message to announce her own death.
Mrs. Raclham was diagnosed with incurable estrogen-receptive breast cancer at the age of 39
In her last message she wrote: ‘If you read this, I have died, but don’t cry for me. I lived my life on my own terms, the way I wanted to.”
‘But don’t cry for me. I lived my life on my own terms, the way I wanted to.
‘I joined X because I needed an outlet, what I got was so much more.
‘You made me feel validated in my feelings and much less alone. Thank you.’
Thousands of tributes have poured in on social media since her death was announced, including from Nicola Nuttall, whose daughter Laura died aged 23 from brain cancer.
She wrote: “We are heartbroken to have lost this truly incredible woman.
‘Kate really knew how to live, she wanted to come to Pendle but didn’t want to wait for better weather because she knew better than anyone the value of one day. We were almost blown away but it was amazing, so glad we met.”
Ms Rackham previously told the BBC that her diagnosis came as a ‘huge shock’ and spoke of her ‘huge’ battle with hair loss during chemotherapy.
‘It’s really hard to lose your hair. It’s not just about losing your hair, it’s also about losing your eyelashes and eyebrows,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live.
Thousands of tributes have poured in on social media since her death was announced. She helped set up the charity Fighting to be Heard to raise awareness of the condition
She last gave an update on her health on June 7, in which she apologized for the ‘lack of communication’
“That’s the difference between looking like you’re shaking a bald head and looking like you’re getting chemotherapy.”
She last shared a health update on June 7 in which she apologized for her “lack of communication lately.”
“And when we heard the words, ‘there’s nothing more we can do,’” she wrote. “I just needed some time.”
She added: “I’m home now, where I want to be. With Mark [her husband] and the girls. Surrounded by love, family and friends. Everyone is rallying and I have so much support. Despite everything, I feel blessed.’
