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Pictured above are the women's crew (left) and Jill's mother Mary
There was
a 5K Walk/Run in her honor of Jill Costello on
September 12th to
raise awareness and funds for
the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer
Foundation.
On June 24th, 2010, we lost Jill, a non-smoker, to lung cancer. At the
young age of 22,
Jill accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime.
Despite her diagnosis on June 6th, 2009,
within this last year, Jill,
graduated from college, won a PAC-10 Championship and placed 2nd at
the
NCAA Championship as the Varsity 8+ coxswain for our Women's Rowing Team,
won the PAC-10 Athlete of the Year Award for Women's Rowing and the Joseph
McDonnell Kavanagh
Award as Cal's most inspirational student-athlete,
traveled to France, rallied 1,000 people for a fundraiser
entitled "Jog
for Jill" last February, and helped raise $50,000 for lung cancer research
while undergoing 22
chemotherapy sessions and 14 days of radiation
treatments. She was amazing. She never gave up on living.
Throughout her remarkable struggle, Jill was determined to find a cure for
this devastating disease.
Near the end of her life, Jill dedicated her
energies to the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (BJALCF),
which
promotes lung cancer awareness and raises funds to find a cure for this
terrible killer. To that end, she began
planning another Jog for Jill and
challenged all of us to "Beat Lung Cancer."
Jill was a three year letter winner and a fellow Golden Bear who helped show the Cal Athletics Community, along with thousands of others, what it truly means to "be a Golden Bear".