Jane Tomlinson
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| Jane Tomlinson | |
| Born | 21 February 1964 Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 3 September 2007 (aged 43) Leeds, West Yorkshire, England |
| Known for | Charity campaigner |
| Spouse(s) | Mike Tomlinson |
Jane Emily Tomlinson, CBE (née Goward; 21 February 1964 – 3 September 2007) was an amateur English athlete who became well known in the United Kingdom for raising £1.5 million for charity by completing a series of athletic challenges, despite suffering from terminal cancer.[1]
Having had treatment for breast cancer in 1991, aged 26, the disease returned in 2000 throughout her body.[2] During the next six years, Tomlinson completed the London Marathon three times, the London Triathlon twice, the New York Marathon once and cycled across Europe, the United States and Africa.[2] Jane Tomlinson died in 2007, aged 43.
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[edit] Early life
Jane Emily Goward was born in Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1964, the sixth of ten children of a dentist.[2][3] When she was aged 11, the family emigrated to Australia but returned after three years.[2] In 1990, Tomlinson applied to study Mathematics at the University of Leeds. However, when she found a lump in her breast and had a lumpectomy, she enrolled instead at Leeds General Infirmary and trained as a radiographer.[2] By this time, she had married Mike Tomlinson and had two daughters, Suzanne and Rebecca.[4] They later had a son, Steven.[5][2] Qualifying in 1993, Tomlinson later studied to postgraduate level and became a paediatric radiographer.[2] Three years after having a lumpectomy the cancer returned and she had a second mastectomy, and two rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.[2] In 2000, Jane Tomlinson was told that the cancer had spread to her bones and lungs, and was given about 12 months to live.[3][2]
[edit] Charity fundraising
Having been told she had terminal cancer in 2000, Tomlinson decided to embark on a series of marathons and athletic challenges to raise money for charity. She devised a training regime and in May 2001 took part in her first challenge, the 5km Race for Life[2]. In December 2001, she took part in the Leeds Abbey Dash.[3] In April 2002, she ran the London Marathon for the first time and later the New York Marathon.[2] In July that year, Jane Tomlinson presented the Jubilee baton to The Queen in Leeds, in August she did the London Triathlon and in October the Great North Run.[3]
Tomlinson completed the Ironman Triathlon, the only person with incurable cancer ever to do so.[6] She also completed two half Ironmans.[6] In 2002 at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, she was given the Helen Rollason Award and was made a MBE in 2003.[6][7] Also in 2003, from March to April, she cycled with her brother Luke Goward from John o' Groats to Land's End, a distance of 1060 miles.[6][2] The following year she and her brother used a tandem to cycle 2000 miles across Europe from Rome to Leeds, and climbed Mont Ventoux on the journey.[3][2]
Jane Tomlinson's public profile led to receiving at one point over 2500 letters from the public a week.[2] However, some tabloid newspapers suggested that her cancer was not terminal, a claim that was proved to be untrue.[2] She also received abusive telephone calls.[8] In 2005, she won a Pride of Britain award.[3]
[edit] Last years
In July and August 2006, Tomlinson spent nine weeks cycling 4200 miles across the United States, raising £250,000.[6][3] This was her final athletic challenge.[9]
Having published The Luxury of Time in 2005, she released the second volume of her memoirs You Can't Take It With You in 2006.[2] In January 2007, Mike and Jane Tomlinson launched Jane Tomlinson's Run For All, a 10km charity run that took place in June that year.[10] Having had four courses of chemotherapy, she developed chronic heart disease.[6] Having been elevated to a CBE in June 2007, Jane Tomlinson died in St Gemma's Hospice, Leeds, West Yorkshire less than three months later on 3 September.[6][5] Her Requiem Mass, which was conducted by the Bishop of Leeds Arthur Roche, was held at the Roman Catholic Leeds Cathedral on 14 September 2007.[4] Later that day she was cremated in a private family ceremony.[11] On 15 November 2007 Tomlinson's ten-year-old son, Steven, collected her CBE from The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ "Obituary: Jane Tomlinson", BBC (4 September 2007).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Obituary - Jane Tomlinson", The Daily Telegraph (6 September 2007).
- ^ a b c d e f g "Obituary - Jane Tomlinson", The Times (5 September 2007).
- ^ a b "Husband speaks of Jane heartbreak", BBC (14 September 2007).
- ^ a b "Jane Tomlinson loses cancer fight", BBC (4 September 2007).
- ^ a b c d e f g "Tomlinson honoured with CBE", BBC (15 June 2007).
- ^ "Jane's fighting spirit", BBC (8 December 2002).
- ^ "'Cruel Abuse' Of Cancer Sufferer", Sky News (15 May 2007).
- ^ "Jane ends fund-raising on a high", BBC (1 September 2006).
- ^ "Thousands join in Tomlinson run", BBC (24 June 2007).
- ^ Nugent, Helen (15 September 2007). "1,000 gather to remember fundraiser Jane", The Times.
- ^ "Tomlinson honour accepted by son", BBC (15 November 2007).
