Josie Grove dies

Feb 27 2007 By Graeme Whitfield, The Journal

A courageous teenager who opted to give up gruelling cancer treatment has finally lost her fight for life.

Josie Grove, a 16-year-old from Corbridge, Northumberland, died peacefully in her sleep with her family around her.

The former swimming champion's bravery while facing her imminent death touched the hearts of people across Britain.

She spoke of her desire to live the rest of her life as she pleased, saying: "I have had enough of hospitals."

An appeal set up by The Journal in Josie's name has raised more than £15,000 for medical research and the teenage cancer ward at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Josie said she wanted to spend her remaining days at home with her father Cliff, 46, and mother Jacqui, 44, as well as siblings Freddie, 13, Libby, 11, and Charlie, 10 months.

Her family were with her as she died at 3.10pm on Monday.

Mrs Grove said: "Josie died very peacefully, she was sleeping as she went in her own bed surrounded by her family.

"We feel very honoured to have been chosen as Josie's parents, she was a very special person.

"She kept her smile, right to the end. That is how we will remember her and how she wants to be remembered.

"All the fund raising that took place in Josie's name really helped her a lot.

"It allowed her to focus on all the positive things that she was doing and to see that she was making a difference to the cause."

Just before Christmas the talented young artist was nominated for an award for her bravery by the nurses who looked after her.

She was diagnosed with leukaemia two years ago while she and her family were living in Thailand.

They moved back to the UK to give Josie the treatment she needed and she had two bone marrow transplants and a course of aggressive anti-cancer drugs - but they have all proved unsuccessful and Josie decided she had taken enough.

She said: "I have had enough of hospitals. I took a course of drugs in September but it left me feeling ill - shaky and aching - and it didn't do much to fight the cancer.

"I want to get on with my life and enjoy spending time with my family. I've just had a blood transfusion, which I have every two weeks, and that leaves me feeling lively again.

"When I heard the news I had leukaemia I didn't realise it was cancer, so I shrugged it off. I later found out what it was, but I didn't let it affect me."

Josie was a pupil at Hexham's Queen Elizabeth High School until she decided she did not want to spend the time she had left in school.

Since September last year she has enjoyed a family trip to London, when she had lunch at The Ritz, and has had a helicopter ride.

Josie had her first bone marrow transplant at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey, in February 2005, but suffered a relapse.

She underwent a second bone marrow transplant at Newcastle General last May, but suffered another relapse in the summer.