A WOMAN from York has told of how she has survived two near-death experiences to become a medal-winning athlete.

Jannine Church, a former intelligence officer with the RAF, was on a training course in 2000 when she fell 1,300 feet into the Stob Coire nam Beath's Summit Gully at Glencoe.

She survived, but suffered a broken back, and severe head and brain injuries, but has battled since then to achieve a full but gradual recovery. She was listed in the 2001 Guinness Book of World Records as the survivor of the longest fall without a parachute.

Jannine married, had two children - Jacob and Emma, now 15 and 12 - and felt she was "back to being the woman and leader I was", but noticed last year she was suffering from unusual symptoms and decided to get a check up.

She said: "I had memory loss, weakness all down my left side, and I was sleeping for Britain. My character changed as well, I was still nice, but complacent and I didn't want to do anything."

Doctors sent Jannine for a scan, and discovered a brain tumour. She was treated for several days with a variety of drugs to try and shrink the tumour, which she said was "the size of an apple", before surgeons performed a ten hour operation to remove it.

Jannine, 53, from Nether Poppleton, said: "They pumped me full of steroids for ten days and a team went in and took out as much as they could, about 96 per cent of it, then I was the woman I was before I fell.

"When I look now the most obvious symptoms that were there it was really obvious. When I fell, people said how lucky I was and I used to get sick of that, but last year I really did feel lucky, it's been astonishing."

Jannine said she still worries that the symptoms might return, but one year on from the operation she had achieved so much without any complications, she was confident she had seen the last of the tumour.

She has thanked sporting groups including Wednesday Wheelers, York Peddlers, York City Rowing Club (YCRC), Bannatynes Gym, and praised her English springer spaniel Penny for helping her to keep fit.

Earlier this month, she took part in the Department of Defense Warrior Games in Chicago - a competition run for hundreds of veterans from US and UK armed forces, most of whom have suffered injuries in the line of duty.

Jannine won gold in the women's 800m, 200m and 100m track events, and placed fourth in a cycling event - going up against people who had suffered similar injuries in each category.

She said: "There are people there in wheelchairs competing, people with limbs missing competing in the pool and beating people two arms doing the crawl, it was just electric. The only way I can describe it is 'humbling', what people put up with - you think you have a bad deal then see what others are dealing with, it makes you thankful for what you have."

Jannine said she was already considering future events and competitions, and was now enjoying her life more than ever.

She said: "I've got a mid-life crisis in progress now, I've got a sports car, bought a motorbike, and I'm thinking about getting a tattoo for the Warrior Games."

Jannine said she recently heard a quote which had stuck in her memory, and she aimed to continue to live by as her health continues to improve, and she prepares for further challenges.

She said: "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. I like that.

"I certainly don't worry too much about tomorrow, and take every opportunity that's given to me."