Jessica Whelan, the young girl in the heart-rending portrait showing the “true face of cancer” has passed away at the age of four.
On Sept 23, 2015 the little girl was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Over the past year her parents have documented her brave fight against the agressive tumors.
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At the end of October, her father, Andy Whelan, posted a startling photo of his beloved daughter writhing in pain.
“If this photograph only serves as a purpose to make people think twice about this evil and put into perspective what it does to a child then it has achieved its purpose,” he explained in the caption. “Research needs to be done, cures need to be found, too long now has this been allowed to happen.”
The image portraying the “true face of cancer” went viral for its powerful black-and-white imagery, bubt also for the father’s heartbreaking message.
On Sunday, Whelan once again took to Facebook, this time sharing that his daughter had passed away.
“Last night she finally allowed me to hold her in my arms and we had a big cuddle as I told her how much I loved her,” he shared. “I told her again that it was okay for her to close her eyes and go to sleep and I kissed her forehead and her lips numerous times. It seems like this is what she needed to finally allow her to find comfort in her passing as within eight hours of this cuddle she finally took her final breath.”
This article first appeared on Womanista.com
