Rosaline Gilbert - fasted to death

WE had heard that a 34-year-old woman from Gloucester had died suddenly.

I went to investigate. Her family told me she had died devoting herself to God.

It was one of the most moving tales I had heard. Building up the confidence of the family, they told me the story of how Rosaline Gilbert had been on a strict 40 day fast.
But she died 23 days into the fast.

The funeral was the following day and they allowed me to attend the moving service. It was a story that shocked the world.

"A Family is trying to come to terms with the death of a "fantastic" daughter who died while undertaking a religious fast.
Rosaline Gilbert was just 34 when she died on the 23rd day of her 40-day fast.
A strict Christian, her large Gloucester family said she had died devoting herself to her Lord.
They paid tribute to her bubbly and kind nature and fondly remembered her forthright views.
Rosaline's mum Gloria, of Hopewell Street, Tredworth, described her as "my baby, my angel".
Her sister Sharon said: "She was fantastic with the children. My son Nathan, who is 21, was very close to her. I could talk to her about anything and nothing. She was a fashion queen. She always looked great."
And Viva, her 39-year-old sister added: "She was such a lovely person she lit up the room. But she always said what she thought.
"Words can't express what she meant to us. She is with the angels now."
Rosaline grew up with eight sisters and a younger brother at Blenheim Road in Tredworth.
She and her sisters went to Widden Primary School and she later went to Colwell School.
Her father, Vincent, died when she was aged around 14.
Sister Juliet, 36, said: "She went to London when she was about 18 and lived there with friends. But she always considered Gloucester her home - we all do.
"She did a carpentry course but, being Rosaline, never stuck to one thing. She had most jobs from then in catering."
It was around 10 years ago that Rosaline became a devout Christian, and devoted her life to God.
Her family were used to her fasting. Juliet said: "She used to say she was a child of God. She wasn't any particular Christian denomination. She was so strong in her beliefs but she was still the same person - intelligent, bubbly and fashionable.
"She was a free spirit I suppose. She would always say things happened for a reason even if we didn't see what it was.
"She was very to the point and told things as they were. She was the kind of person that said things others wouldn't.
"She had loads of friends both in Gloucester and London."
Her sisters are Madge, 44, Maureen, 43, Maxine, 41, Sharon, 40, Viva, 39, Diane, 37, Juliet, 36, Maryan, 35 and her brother Junior is 23...
She started the fast on March 19, just drinking water and reading the Bible.
Juliet said: "We think she maybe hadn't drunk enough water. She was starving herself and it must have been too much for her body to take."It is such a shock. She was a healthy young woman and our baby. But she would have found some peace devoting herself to God."

Examples of how the rest of the world reported it:
(newspapers across Britain, US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand ran the story)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/05/09/nfast09.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/05/09/ixuknewsnew.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,,1770476,00.html

http://www.kath.net/detail.php?id=13608

http://www.rknieuws.net/rorate/scripts/nws_art.php?id=25803