LONDON (AFP) — Terminal cancer sufferer Jane Tomlinson has died following a seven-year battle against the disease, her family said Tuesday.
Tomlinson raised thousands of pounds in the seven years after being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer by taking on a series of gruelling physical challenges.
Jane Tomlinson was given only six months to live by doctors in 2000 but decided to devote what remained of her life to raising money for medical charities.
She became a national hero through feats such as cycling 6,780 kilometres from San Francisco to New York in the United States over nine weeks last year.
Tomlinson was the first person with terminal cancer to complete the Ironman triathlon (four-kilometre swim, 180-kilometre bike ride and full marathon) and has run a number of marathons, including one while undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
The 43-year-old paediatric radiologist's efforts raised more than 1.5 million pounds and Queen Elizabeth II made her a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in June.
Tomlinson's husband, Mike, and their three children said in a statement that they were "heartbroken" at their loss but "honoured to have been blessed with such a wonderful person."
They added: "No one was more surprised than us when she took out a gym membership in October 2000, a few weeks after the terminal diagnosis. It seemed, on the face of it, massively out of character.
"It is to her remarkable achievement that it became the norm for her to complete one marathon or triathlon after another."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown also paid tribute to Tomlinson, describing her as a "daily inspiration".
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