Jane McGrath

Jane McGrath
Born	Jane Louise Steele 4 May 1966(1966-05-04) Paignton, Devon, England
Died	22 June 2008(2008-06-22) (aged 42) Cronulla, New South Wales, Australia
Cause of death	Breast cancer
Known for	Cancer support campaigner/activist
Spouse	Glenn McGrath (1999–2008) (her death)
Children	Holly McGrath & James McGrath
Parents	Roy Steele (father) Jen Steele (mother)

Jane Louise McGrath AM (née Steele; 4 May 1966 – 22 June 2008) was a British-born Australian cancer support campaigner, and the wife of Australian cricket fast bowler Glenn McGrath.

Background

Jane McGrath was born as Jane Louise Steele on 4 May 1966 to Jen and Roy Steele, a now retired newsagent in Paignton, Devon, England. She worked as a flight attendant for Virgin Atlantic Airways when she met her future husband in a Hong Kong nightclub in 1995. They married in 1999 and had two children, James and Holly. She became an Australian citizen on Australia Day, 26 January 2002. McGrath was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on 26 January 2008 "for service to community health through support for women with breast cancer and the establishment of the McGrath Foundation."

Cancer

McGrath first learned she had breast cancer in 1997 at the age of 31. Following a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she was deemed cancer-free by June 1998. Despite fears that cancer treatment may have left her sterile, she later gave birth to two children who were both breast-fed. In 2003, McGrath was diagnosed with metastatic disease in her bones. In 2004, she appeared with her husband on Andrew Denton's Enough Rope on the ABC, describing her work for the foundation and her personal experiences.

In early 2006, brain metastasis was detected and by May, she was undergoing radiation treatment at three-week intervals. The tumour was found and successfully removed. At the time, she lost her hair and became depressed, but again went into remission and continued her work with the foundation. She became severely ill in mid-June 2008 and died on the morning of 22 June at her Cronulla home; she was 42.

McGrath Foundation

Main article: McGrath Foundation

In 2002 Glenn and Jane McGrath founded the McGrath Foundation, a charitable organisation dedicated to raising money to fund more breast care nurses in rural and regional Australia, and to increase breast awareness in young women. The foundation has so far raised over $12 million, and as of January 2012 has funded 68 McGrath Breast Care Nurses, who have supported over 10,000 Australian families experiencing breast cancer.

The third day of the first Sydney test cricket match at the Sydney Cricket Ground each year is now known as Jane McGrath Day, where money is raised for the McGrath Foundation. Many people wear pink to show support.

References

Specific

General

• "A timeline of the Jane and Glenn McGrath's life together". news.com.au. 2008-06-22. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23904570-421,00.html?from=public_rss. Retrieved 2008-06-23. 
• "Glenn and Jane McGrath". Enough Rope with Andrew Denton. ABC Television. 2004-05-24. http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s1115161.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-23. 
• "It's An Honour - Jane Louise McGrath". Australian Government. 2008-01-26. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1137500&search_type=quick&showInd=true. Retrieved 2008-06-23. 

Tributes

• Jane McGrath an inspiration, says Rudd
• The Sydney Morning Herald
• The Age
• International Herald Tribune

Other nations

• New Zealand
• South Africa
• Thailand
• United Kingdom

External links

• The McGrath Foundation