JACKIE CROWE, THE subject of a TV3 documentary last year which chronicled her struggle with a rare form of cancer together with her financial struggles with both her mortgage and her life assurance policy, has died.
Jackie, a 49-year-old mother of two from Tralee, Co Kerry, was diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETS), a rare form of cancer, just five months after falling behind on both her mortgage and her life assurance policy.
She opened up to TV3 in an effort to warn others of the seriousness of falling into arrears on your life assurance policy. The total arrears that saw her policy void amounted to just €244.
The documentary highlighted how Jackie believed that worsening economic conditions have led to a lack of proper care in Ireland’s health service.
Jackie had made a heartbreaking, unplanned appearance on the People’s Debate with Vincent Browne when it called to Killarney just three weeks ago (here, from about 40 mins onwards).
Paying tribute to Jackie after her passing, one friend described the “huge impression” she had made on people in her locality.
“She was an extraordinary person, you simply wouldn’t have believed she was living with the illness she had with the way she conducted herself,” she said.
You could see in her appearance on Vincent Browne – she was such a concerned person – she had this thing about addressing the problems in our society.
Local Sinn Féin councillor Toiréasa Ferris, who had been heavily involved with Jackie and her financial struggles, said she was “an incredibly strong woman”.
“Inspirational – she turned her own battle with cancer into a fight to make services better for those who came after,” she said.
My condolences go to all her family. Her loss is a huge one, both to her family and to those who were lucky enough to know her.
David Hall of the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation told TheJournal.ie that Jackie was “as inspirational a person as you could ever meet”.
“She was witty, feisty, sharp, strong, so passionate, and frankly boring when it came to the number of friends she had that she could talk about,” he said.
She was so honest. You knew exactly where you stood with her, she did exactly what she said on the tin.
Jackie’s funeral will be held on Thursday at 12pm in St Mary’s Church, Ballyheigue.
She is survived by her children Rebecca and Cody, her father Larry, brothers Declan and Brian, and sister Marion.
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