Just logging onto my social media accounts to see tributes for Una Crudden pouring in and i knew some day this was how everyone would find out about her passing. In a few years of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer Una changed the landscape of campaigning in Northern Ireland and worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the silent killer. She took Stormont by surprise and addressed many chamber meetings while impressing all the politicians in residence - and put the wheels in motion for better screening in NI. If she wasnt Tweeting Stephen Nolan or doing an interview with UTV, picking up an award for her campaigning work or shaking a collection bucket, she was smiling, laughing and spreading the word. I became friendly with Una when she called the BBC Newsroom one evening a few years ago and what would normally be a 2 or 3 minute phone call lasted 45 minutes. I found her charisma, energy and character amazing. She told me about her own personal battle and after my mum died from the same disease i could only sit and listen and try and help Una get as much publicity as possible. Following that we developed a great friendship and shed ring with jokes and updates of her personal crusade against ovarian cancer. I was lucky enough to attend her recent milestone birthday and enjoyed a pint with her family at the Percy French about a year or so ago. In the time i knew her Ive never seen anyone send more tweets, post more statuses, do more interviews and have more column inches written about them than Una. She truly is an inspiration and hopefully from the albums shes recorded, to the sponsored head shaves and the various talks shes given, other women like Una can carry on her good work and prevent other women who are full of life from dying. Well done on all your hard and you can now put the feet up upstairs and chill with the big man. RIP UNA X
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 12:32:18 +0000
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