Jane Emily Tomlinson, CBE (née Goward; 21 February 1964[1] – 3 September 2007) was an amateur English athlete who raised £1.85 million for charity by completing a series of athletic challenges, despite suffering from terminal cancer.[2]
Having had treatment for breast cancer in 1991, at age 26, the disease returned in 2000 throughout her body.[3] 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 and the United States.[3] Tomlinson died in 2007, aged 43.
Early life
Jane Emily Goward was born in Wakefield,[4]Yorkshire in 1964, the sixth of ten children of a dentist.[3][5] When she was aged 11, the family emigrated to Australia but returned after three years.[3]
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.[3] By this time, she had married Mike Tomlinson and had two daughters.[6] They later had a son.[3][7]
Qualifying in 1993, Tomlinson later studied to postgraduate level and became a paediatric radiographer.[3] Three years after having a lumpectomy the cancer returned and she had a mastectomy, two rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.[3] In 2000, Tomlinson was told that the cancer had spread to her bones and lungs, and was given about 12 months to live.[3][5]
Charity fundraising
Tomlinson raised over £1.85 million through a series of challenges including several long-distance bike rides, marathons, triathlons and a full Ironman triathlon. Since her death the charity that she founded has announced a new fundraising target of £5 million. As of February 2015 £7.6 million has been raised, and in September 2017 the campaign announced fundraising had surpassed £10m.[8]
Last years
In July and August 2006, Tomlinson spent nine weeks cycling 3,800 miles across the United States, raising £250,000.[5][9] This was her final athletic challenge.[10]
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.[3] In January 2007, Mike and Jane Tomlinson launched Jane Tomlinson's Run For All, a 10 km charity run that took place in June that year.[11] Having had four courses of chemotherapy, she developed chronic heart disease.[9] 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.[7][9]
