Jill Costello

Jillian Helene Weinkauf Costello (December 1, 1987 – June 24, 2010), better known simply as Jill Costello, was an American athlete and activist for lung cancer awareness and research. She is best known for leading the California Golden Bears crew as varsity coxswain while fighting against stage IV lung cancer. Costello was an otherwise healthy, 21-year-old non-smoker, when she was diagnosed with cancer. In 2011 she was inducted into both the NCAA Hall of Fame and the UC Berkeley Golden Bears Hall of Fame.

Personal life Jill Costello was born in San Francisco, California to mother Mary Costello and father Jim Costello. She has two older brothers, Jimmy and Kevin. She attended high school at St. Ignatius College Preparatory and is an alumna of the University of California, Berkeley. She performed as a dancer with the San Francisco Ballet by the age of 9. Costello coxed the varsity 8+ to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 2010 and a second-place finish overall. Altogether, Costello underwent 21 rounds of chemotherapy and 14 radiation treatments.

Costello spearheaded the first Jog for Jill on February 7, 2010, on the UC Berkeley Campus. The race drew over 1,000 participants and raised over $45,000 for lung cancer research. This was the largest fundraiser ever for lung cancer at the time. She then spoke at Genentech, a cancer research company, about finding a cure for cancer that would save lives.

On June 20, 2010, four days before her death, Costello sent out a mass message on Facebook and her CaringBridge page from her hospital bed, inviting everyone she could to participate in the upcoming San Francisco BJALCF Walk in September in her honor. Her message was later used by the foundation to spread the word about the jog via YouTube and was the start of the entire Jog for Jill and Jill's Legacy movements.

Activism

Jog for Jill After Costello's death, BJALCF held their annual lung cancer walk/run in her honor. Jog for Jill SF was held on September 12, 2010, drew over 5,000 participants, and raised over $350,000. It broke the record previously set by February 2010's jog, and is currently the largest event held in support of lung cancer research. In Berkeley on February 6, 2011, the second annual Jog for Jill was again held on UC Berkeley campus and raised $98,000 for lung cancer research.

Jill's Legacy has taken charge of Jog for Jill, and is hosting the jogs on many more college campuses and cities every year. There has been a Jog for Jill at the University of Tulsa (September 18, 2011), Cornell University (September 25, 2011), University of Washington (October 2011), and UC Davis campuses. San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, and Orange County have also held the event.

Jill's Legacy

The Bonnie J. Addario a Breath Away from the Cure Foundation (BJALCF), a worldwide leader in efforts to eliminate lung cancer, announced on March 7, 2011, that it had launched a new advisory board made up of 21 young professionals who had each been personally affected by lung cancer. The board was named "Jill's Legacy" in memoriam of Costello. The organization was nominated for a "Classy Award" in 2010.

Jill's Legacy's motto is "BEAT Lung Cancer Big Time!" All money raised through the group's fundraising campaigns goes directly to young researchers and lung cancer awareness movements. Jill's Legacy has participated in many fundraising efforts besides Jog for Jill, including attending the OMG Cancer Summit for young cancer patients and survivors. It was the official non-profit for the 2011 PAC-10 Rowing Championship and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 Rowing Championships, and was the sponsor for the Stotesbury Cup Regatta on Boathouse row in Philadelphia. Members of the group attended the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's July 2011 World Conference in Amsterdam. Jill's Legacy has held local events in San Francisco and the Bay area, including a benefit party before the Cal v. Stanford Big Game in 2011.

Awards and honors Cal Woman's Crew raced and won as "Team Jill" wearing special uniforms in honor of Costello at the "2010 Big Row" against rival Stanford. Cal's team also wore their "Team Jill" uniforms as she coxed them during the NCAA Championships races that year. Costello received the Cal Pac-10 Athlete of the Year award in 2010. Rowers continued to show their support for Costello when her high school team the St. Ignatius' crew christened a varsity boat The Jill Costello. She had the honor of pouring champagne over the boat and coxing its rowers for its inaugural row. Following the tone set by the 2010 season, Berkeley held the "2011 Big Row" in memory of Costello, renaming it the "2011 Jill Row". Both Cal and Stanford men's and women's teams rowed in colors and with ribbons commemorating her life and legacy.

Costello was featured in Sports Illustrated Magazines November 2010 issue in a story entitled "The Courage of Jill Costello" by Chris Ballard.

Costello is one of two winners of the NCAA Inspiration Award, who were recognized at the Honors Celebration at the 2012 NCAA Convention in Indianapolis.