World record holder for the highest fall of f mountain survives again
...And this time she beats cancer
WHEN Jannine Church plunged 1,300ft in Glencoe her fate as another grim statistic in the annals of Scottish mountain tragedies seemed assured.
Nobody had fallen that far off a mountain and lived – which was why, after rescuers found her alive at the foot of a gully, she later appeared in the Guinness Book of Records.
Now, 17 years after surviving the horror accident, she has battled through another near-death experience.
A tumour had grown undetected in her brain for years – and when it was finally removed it was the size of an apple.
Mrs Church, 57, was RAF Flight Lieutenant Jannine Godfrey when she attended a training course at Glencoe and fell into Stob Coire nam Beith’s Summit Gully.
She broke her back and suffered brain and head injuries but made a full recovery.
Years later, after marrying and having two children, her health deteriorated until a brain scan last year revealed the tumour.
Now, after successful surgery, she is back to full fitness and winning athletics medals.
She said: ‘When I fell, people said how lucky I was and I used to get sick of that because I felt so unlucky. But after I had my tumour taken out I really did feel lucky – it’s been astonishing.’
Mrs Church fell to what her fellow climbers feared must be certain death in January 2000.
The year after that she appeared in the Guinness Book of Records under ‘Longest mountain fall survived’. The exact distance of her fall was 1,299ft. Deep snow in the gully had saved her.
She said: ‘I don’t remember the fall – my crampon caught in my gaiters and I tripped and fell, and that was that. It just wasn’t my time to go – obviously.
‘The rescuers almost fainted in shock because I was making noises. They had recovered quite a few dead bodies from there.’
Mrs Church, of Nether Poppleton near York, added: ‘It was initially a two-year recovery. After that, I kept busy and lived my life. I got married, I had children.
‘But slowly I stopped being able to do things ... I can only describe it as feeling you’re in a dream, but not knowing that you’re asleep.’
Her symptoms, including extreme tiredness and weakness down her left side, got so severe she was no longer able to drive.
Now she rows, cycles and runs, competing in races in all three.
She said: ‘I began running with my best training partner – my dog Penny.’
The training paid off. Competing in the Department of Defense Warrior Games in Chicago – for US and UK veterans – she won gold in the women’s 800m, 200m and 100m track events and came fourth in a cycling event.
She said: ‘There are people with limbs missing competing in the pool and beating people with arms doing the crawl, it’s electric.’
Mrs Church said: ‘I’ve got a midlife crisis in progress now, I’ve got a sports car and bought a motorbike. I certainly don’t worry too much about tomorrow, and take every opportunity given to me.’