Blands Funeral Home

The 40-year-old, who died on Wednesday after a two-year battle with breast cancer told Deborah James, 36: 'Remember: Gucci sunnies, floppy hat and black'.Ms James, who has incurable bowel cancer, replied: 'Ok. We're under strict orders'.Along with Lauren Mahon, 33, the trio made the You, me and the Big C podcast for the BBC.The friends last saw each other in August and said the newsreader insisted on having perfect nails and hair saying: 'I didn't want to look in the mirror and see a sick, dying person'.  Rachel Bland's weekly discussions with Lauren Mahon (centre) and Deborah James (right) of the highs and lows of her fight with cancer and the friends revealed their final conversations with her today which involved jokes about death and funeral instructions BBC newsreader Rachael Bland, pictured with her three-year-old son Freddie, died aged 40 following an inspirational two-year public battle with cancer Bland, pictured with her husband Steve and son Freddie, built up a collection of handwritten notebooks and perfume so her three-year-old child 'would remember me in some way' A post on Bland's official Twitter account, featuring a picture of her with Steve, said: 'Our beautiful, courageous Rachael died peacefully surrounded by her close family'Lauren Mahon, a breast cancer survivor, said that Rachael needed oxygen that day and they saw she was nearing the end of her battle.On Monday their friend then tweeted her final poignant message that she only 'days left', the trio still responded with their trademark black jokes.Lauren told the Daily Telegraph: 'We actually made light of it. I went, "Rachel I've been away on holiday for two days and you go dying on me",' to which she replied: 'I know. I didn't want to tell you'. She added: 'I know Rachael had a good death, and that’s all we could have wanted for her'. 48 hours later her 'crushed' husband Steve paid tribute to her after she died surrounded by the pe...

I have a vague apprehension of being in pain. [But] it’s not the dying process, it’s the leaving people … It’s the thought of leaving Freddie behind, Steve behind, my mum behind.”Hooked up to an oxygen tank, the BBC Radio 5 Live broadcaster Rachael Bland spoke these words on her hugely acclaimed podcast, You, Me and the Big C, presented with fellow cancer patients Deborah James and Lauren Mahon, in a seminal episode called About Death, the first of the second series. It was made available on August 15, 2018. Three weeks later, on September 5, Rachael Bland died at the age of 40. That day, her three-year-old son, Freddie, whom listeners came to know through her…...

Her husband Steve and young son Freddie were joined by her relatives, friends and colleagues who 'raised a glass to Rach' after the radio host's death on September 5.Bland, who died of breast cancer aged 40, documented her battle with the disease in a podcast and blog series called You, Me and The Big C.BBC colleagues took to Twitter to share a picture of the order of service for today's memorial near her home in Knutsford, Cheshire, which featured a picture of on her wedding day.Presenter Dan Walker wrote: 'Well... that was both beautiful & brutal. 'Wonderful to meet some of @Rachael_Hodges & @blandsteve's family and to see so many of her @bbc5live colleagues & friends giving thanks for her incredible life #RaiseAGlassToRach #YouMeBigC.' Friends family and colleagues of BBC radio presenter Rachael Bland paid tribute to her at a memorial service celebrating her life today. Pictured: An order of service posted online by friend and colleague BBC presenter Dan Walker  Bland (pictured with husband Steve and son Freddie)  who died of breast cancer aged 40, documented her battle with the disease in a podcast and blog series called You, Me and The Big C Rachael spoke of how devastating it was to break the news of her terminal illness to her husband Steve (pictured with her) in her blog and podcast series BBC Radio 5 Live, where Bland worked, also paid tribute to her online, asking people to take pictures of themself 'raising a glass to Rach'.A spokesman wrote: 'Today, we said goodbye to our dear colleague and friend Rachael Bland.'#RaiseAGlassToRach is our way of giving a big burst of love to Rachael’s family and remind the world how she touched the lives of the people who knew her and listened to her.'Twitter was flooded with hundreds of images of people raising a glass in memory of the inspirational broadcaster. ...