Jane Tomlinson

Infobox Person
name=Jane Tomlinson
birth_date = birth date|1964|2|21|df=yes
birth_place = Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England
death_date = death date and age|2007|9|3|1964|2|21|df=yes
death_place = Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
other_names =
known_for = Charity campaigner
occupation =
spouse = 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.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2585103.stm|title=Obituary: Jane Tomlinson|first=|last=|publisher=BBC|date=4 September 200] ]

Having had treatment for breast cancer in 1991, aged 26, the disease returned in 2000 throughout her body. 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.cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/06/db0602.xml|title=Obituary - Jane Tomlinson|first=|last=|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|date=6 September 2007] Jane Tomlinson died in 2007, aged 43.

Early life

Jane Emily Goward was born in Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1964, the sixth of ten children of a dentist. When she was aged 11, the family emigrated to Australia but returned after three years. 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. By this time, she had married Mike Tomlinson and had two daughters, Suzanne and Rebecca. They later had a son, Steven. Qualifying in 1993, Tomlinson later studied to postgraduate level and became a paediatric radiographer. Three years after having a lumpectomy the cancer returned and she had a second mastectomy, and two rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In 2000, Jane Tomlinson was told that the cancer had spread to her bones and lungs, and was given about 12 months to live.

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. In December 2001, she took part in the Leeds Abbey Dash. In April 2002, she ran the London Marathon for the first time and later the New York Marathon. 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.

Tomlinson completed the Ironman Triathlon, the only person with incurable cancer ever to do so. She also completed two half Ironmans. 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.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/special_events/sports_personality_2002/2539587.stm|title=Jane's fighting spirit
first=|last=|publisher=BBC|date=8 December 2002] 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. 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.

Jane Tomlinson's public profile led to receiving at one point over 2500 letters from the public a week. However, some tabloid newspapers suggested that her cancer was not terminal, a claim that was proved to be untrue. She also received abusive telephone calls.cite news|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13584369,00.html|title='Cruel Abuse' Of Cancer Sufferer|first=|last=|publisher=Sky News|date=15 May 2007] In 2005, she won a Pride of Britain award.

Last years

In July and August 2006, Tomlinson spent nine weeks cycling 4200 miles across the United States, raising £250,000.cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2387736.ece|title=Obituary - Jane Tomlinson|first=|last=|publisher=The Times|date=5 September 2007] This was her final athletic challenge.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/5306406.stm|title=Jane ends fund-raising on a high|first=|last=|publisher=BBC|date=1 September 2006]

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. 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.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/6234770.stm|title=Thousands join in Tomlinson run|first=|last=|publisher=BBC|date=24 June 2007] Having had four courses of chemotherapy, she developed chronic heart disease. 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.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6757317.stm|title=Tomlinson honoured with CBE|first=|last=|publisher=BBC|date=15 June 2007] cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/6976050.stm|title=Jane Tomlinson loses cancer fight|first=|last=|publisher=BBC|date=4 September 2007] 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.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6993156.stm|title=Husband speaks of Jane heartbreak|first=|last=|publisher=BBC|date=14 September 2007] Later that day she was cremated in a private family ceremony.cite news|url=http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article2456447.ece|title=1,000 gather to remember fundraiser Jane|first=Helen|last=Nugent|publisher=The Times|date=15 September 2007] On 15 November 2007 Tomlinson's ten-year-old son, Steven, collected her CBE from The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/7095856.stm|title=Tomlinson honour accepted by son|first=|last=|publisher=BBC|date=15 November 2007]

References

External links

* [http://www.janesappeal.com/ Jane's Appeal]