A Belfast woman whose courage inspired cancer sufferers has died. Ms Deirdre Kee (44) died in Belfast City Hospital yesterday. She is survived by her parents, four brothers and four sisters.
Ms Kee was a schoolteacher in Northern Ireland and in the US. She returned home several years ago and embarked on a business career, eventually running her own restaurant, Lacey's, at Dublin Road in Belfast.
When she was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago she decided to go public to highlight the preventive measures available to women.
Her situation was chronicled in the award-winning TV programme A Woman In 12 on BBC NI's Home Truths series.
The programme's producer, Mr Bruce Batten, paid tribute to her, saying: "Through television she drew women across the country into a much clearer awareness of a subject of critical importance to them."
A follow-up programme will be screened in the autumn.