Bec Judd pays tribute to friend Nicole Cooper who died at age 38 from bowel cancer

By Liam On Jan 11, 2023

Footy WAG Bec Judd has paid tribute to a close friend who died of cancer.

Nicole Cooper, a mother of one, was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in March 2017, shortly after giving birth to her son Joshua, and died in Melbourne on Tuesday. She was 38 years old.

Bec, who is vacationing in Whistler, Canada, with her family, said Wednesday that she was “very privileged” to have shared “so many good times” with her friend.

Footy WAG Bec Judd (right) paid tribute to a close friend who died of cancer. Nicole Cooper, mother of one (centre left), diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in March 2017, shortly after giving birth to her son Joshua, and died in Melbourne on Tuesday. she was 38

Commenting on Nicole’s latest Instagram post, which she wrote hours before her death, Bec wrote: ‘Oh Nic. The most courageous and inspiring person I know. I’ve got your back and I will love your family dearly, forever, as I love you.’

She then took to her own Instagram page to share photos of the couple together.

Heaven has a queen. Rest easy, my love. I am so proud to be your friend and so privileged to have shared so many good times with you,’ she wrote.

I will open my arms and hold Josh tight, just like you would, for all the days to come. RIP @nicolecoopy.

She was open about her battle with cancer and inspired thousands of people living with the disease.

Bec also shared a video of the snowy mountains of Whistler, where she is on a ski trip with her husband, Chris Judd, and their four children.

“Waking up to this view and thinking of my beautiful friend Nicole Cooper who desperately wanted to be on this trip to Whistler looking at this same outlet every day,” she wrote.

‘RIP, Nick. I love you forever.’

Bec, 39, who is vacationing in Whistler, Canada, with her family, said Wednesday that she was “very privileged to have shared” so many good times “with her friend.”

In the hours before her death, Nicole wrote a heartbreaking final message that her family later posted on her Instagram.

Alongside a photo of her hospital bed with her son Josh and husband Tim, she wrote: “When it comes to ending cancer is not what I want to leave.”

He added that the “things that matter” are “what we have built together.”

“The shared respect, the joy, the compelling and insightful commitment, and the unflinching authenticity of the true practicalities of being alive,” he added.

In the hours before her death, Nicole wrote a heartbreaking final message that her family later posted on her Instagram. The post included this photo from her hospital bed of Nicole with her husband and son.

‘It’s the fragility of it, the incomparable totality, the readiness to take all the risks for this group, to truly declare that living at my most frightened, vulnerable, weakest, wonderful was worth it.

‘Because I have to do it with all of you. That is the purpose of things. That’s what I’m done with.

“And that’s what I know all of you are starting to advocate for us, for every day, forever,” he said.

COLON CANCER: WHAT ARE THE WARNING SIGNS?

Bowel or colorectal cancer affects the large intestine, which is made up of the colon and rectum.

Such tumors usually develop from precancerous growths, called polyps.

Symptoms include:

bleeding from below
Blood in the stool
A change in bowel habits that lasts for at least three weeks.
unexplained weight loss
Extreme and unexplained tiredness
Abdominal pain

Most cases do not have a clear cause; however, people are more at risk if:

they are over 50
Having a family history of the condition.
Having a personal history of polyps in the intestine.
You suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease.
Lead an unhealthy lifestyle

Treatment usually involves surgery and chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

More than nine out of ten people with stage 1 bowel cancer survive five years or more after their diagnosis.

Unfortunately, only about a third of all colorectal cancers are diagnosed at this early stage.

Most people see a doctor when the disease has spread beyond the wall of the colon or rectum or to distant parts of the body, lowering the chance of a successful cure for colon cancer.

According to Bowel Cancer UK figures, more than 41,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year in the UK.

It affects about 40 out of 100,000 adults each year in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The Melbourne mother had publicly documented her cancer journey on Instagram and ran her own podcast, The Imppatient Podcast.

He devoted much of his blog to raising awareness about the disease.

‘I am a young, healthy and active woman. I love kale. I love the gym. Don’t assume you’re not in the risk zone,” she wrote on her blog in 2017.

Anyone can get colon cancer. You are never too young, old, fit, healthy or invincible.’

She added that she “hadn’t given much thought to her symptoms” due to her work schedule and exhaustion from caring for her son.

Her final post was emotionally charged and full of love for her family, shown here in her final days.

“I lost weight quickly, but I was breastfeeding at the time and many people told me that I looked fabulous and that I was very lucky,” she explained.

“I was also especially tired, quite understandable as a new mom.”

On January 4, he posted a photo of his ‘oxygen friend’, a tank, reflecting on a week of madness in ICU and moments of terror.

Bec said heaven had “gained a queen” while sharing photos of the friends together

“But one of the benefits of a week of total disorientation is the option to take a conscious step in any direction and essentially move towards some version of breakthrough,” he said.

That determination to do better led her followers to praise her for her resilience and optimism.

But unfortunately things took a turn for the worse and six days later she was writing her latest post and spending time with her family, who all crowded into her room to say goodbye.

His death left his community devastated.

Bec shared photos of the group of friends in happier times.