Passing of Jill Costello
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".