You Can't Take It with You - Mike Tomlinson, Jane Tomlinson

You can't take it with you' tells the story of how the Tomlinsons came to raise over 1.5million for charities whilst Jane fights her own battle with terminal caner; Jane completed a triathlon, a marathon, the Rome to Leeds cycle ride, the Florida Ironman competition in which she has been the only terminally ill person to succeed and cross the finish line and finally an unbelievable bike ride across America that would make any fit human whimper at ...
...in such a way that you feel as though you are experiencing everything with the family. The writing style can be awkward to get used to, alternating diary type entries from both Jane and Mike that fully encapsulate you and make the book impossible to put down once you get into the flow; however the chapters are long, highly interesting and informative, really it is impossible to stop reading once you have started.

From reading the book ... more

You can't take it with you' tells the story of how the Tomlinsons came to raise over 1.5million for charities whilst Jane fights her own battle with terminal caner; Jane completed a triathlon, a marathon, the Rome to Leeds cycle ride, the Florida Ironman competition in which she has been the only terminally ill person to succeed and cross the finish line and finally an unbelievable bike ride across America that would make any fit human whimper at the thought.

Jane, Mike and their 3 children make an amazing team. Together they have written this book in such a way that you feel as though you are experiencing everything with the family. The writing style can be awkward to get used to, alternating diary type entries from both Jane and Mike that fully encapsulate you and make the book impossible to put down once you get into the flow; however the chapters are long, highly interesting and informative, really it is impossible to stop reading once you have started.

From reading the book it is clear that Mike uses his knowledge of his wife to help motivate her to keep going and not give up; he does this by continually helping to set challenges, for example the Rome to Leeds ride which he knew she wouldn't be able to refuse at least try to complete. Each of the challenges testing Jane's physical, mental and emotional boundaries to the limit and sometimes beyond and yet each challenge is merely a training session for Jane's ultimate goal - the Florida Ironman.

You really bond with the family in this book, smiling to yourself at the references to their teenage daughters and fully understanding the arguments between the adults, the smallest and pettiest things embedding themselves under the skin and then the simplest of hugs, or a back rub making it all better again; their ups are your ups and their downs are your downs. You feel jubilation whenever Jane crosses a finish line and you feel sorrow when the gates at the triathlon are closed on her. They take you into the consultation room with them, making you feel as if you were sat with them and you feel their heart ache as the prognoses gets worse or the treatments don't go to plan.

By the end of the book you feel totally empowered, if you thought you'd had a bad few days then reading about the life of the Tomlinsons really puts your own life into perspective. They are strong willed and strong hearted, holding down good jobs, taking care of their family and participating in all these charity events whilst making the most of each and every day that is left in Jane's life. If this book doesn't make you get up off your bum and do something for yourself then nothing will.

Available from any good bookstore for around £8.00 and fully recommended

Updated September 07 2007.
Sadly Jane lost her fight against cancer on September 04 2007. She was a brave and outstanding woman whose courageous fundraising efforts has touched many people across the world. To date she had managed to raise over £1.75 million and deserves to never be forgotten.
May you now rest in peace. 

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