Kath Rackham, a teacher, mother of two and breast cancer awareness campaigner, has died aged 45. She had campaigned to raise awareness of the disease since being diagnosed with oestrogen-receptive breast cancer at the age of 39.
In a final post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Ms Rackham wrote: "If you're reading this, it means I have died. But do not cry for me. I have lived my life on my own terms, the way I have 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."
Ms Rackham worked with the campaign group Fighting to be Heard, which focuses on raising awareness of secondary breast cancer, where the cancer has spread to another part of the body. According to the charity Breast Cancer Now, an estimated 61,000 people live with secondary breast cancer in the UK. In around 5 per cent of women, breast cancer has already spread by the time it is diagnosed.
Every year, 11,500 women die from breast cancer in the UK, and it remains the leading cause of cancer deaths among women globally. In January, the NHS warned of increasing numbers of women missing breast cancer screening appointments. Data for 2022-23 showed 46 per cent of eligible women did not attend an appointment, up from 35 per cent the previous year.
A week before her final post on 13 June, Ms Rackham wrote: "The last week or so has been so surreal. Hospital stays, illness, procedures and then to be told 'there is nothing more we can do.' I need a bit of time. I'm not home... Surrounded by love, family and friends. Everyone is rallying around and I have so much support. Despite everything I feel blessed."
