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| Hilary Lister: Record-breaking quadriplegic sailor dies | Hilary Lister: Record-breaking quadriplegic sailor dies |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Hilary Lister, the first quadriplegic person to sail across the English Channel, has died at the age of 46. | Hilary Lister, the first quadriplegic person to sail across the English Channel, has died at the age of 46. |
| Ms Lister, from Dunkirk, Kent, made the journey in 2005 using straws in her mouth to control her boat. | Ms Lister, from Dunkirk, Kent, made the journey in 2005 using straws in her mouth to control her boat. |
| She was also the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain and set another record by crossing the Indian Ocean. | She was also the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain and set another record by crossing the Indian Ocean. |
| Her stepson, Alex Lister, said: "She was the definition of an inspirational woman." | Her stepson, Alex Lister, said: "She was the definition of an inspirational woman." |
| He added: "She turned the suffering she was experiencing into an opportunity." | He added: "She turned the suffering she was experiencing into an opportunity." |
| Her mother, Pauline Rudd, described her daughter as "gifted" and added: "She inspired me, she inspired all of us to take risks, to live life to the full. | Her mother, Pauline Rudd, described her daughter as "gifted" and added: "She inspired me, she inspired all of us to take risks, to live life to the full. |
| "We were very privileged to have her as a daughter and as a sibling." | "We were very privileged to have her as a daughter and as a sibling." |
| A progressive neurological disorder, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, left Ms Lister in a wheelchair from the age of 15. She gradually lost the use of all her body from the neck down. | A progressive neurological disorder, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, left Ms Lister in a wheelchair from the age of 15. She gradually lost the use of all her body from the neck down. |
| Mrs Rudd said: "There was nothing the medics could do except pain control. It was just a creeping paralysis." | Mrs Rudd said: "There was nothing the medics could do except pain control. It was just a creeping paralysis." |
| 'Cloud nine' | 'Cloud nine' |
| In September 2003, Ms Lister was taken sailing on a lake by a friend and fell in love with the sport. | In September 2003, Ms Lister was taken sailing on a lake by a friend and fell in love with the sport. |
| Speaking to the BBC in 2014, she said: "It's just incredible, that feeling of utter freedom, the ability to move around and go where I want, when I want." | |
| Sarah Treseder, Chief Executive of the Royal Yachting Association said: "Hilary often said that sailing was like being given wings. How she flew. Her achievements stand apart - single handed round the Isle of Wight, circumnavigating Britain, crossing the Arabian Sea to name but a few, all using sip and puff technology to steer and control the sails. | |
| "Hilary will be much missed, but what she achieved in her short life and how she went about it will be long remembered." | |
| Describing her trip across the Channel, her stepson said: "People thought she was nuts but she went out and did it and she was on cloud nine." | Describing her trip across the Channel, her stepson said: "People thought she was nuts but she went out and did it and she was on cloud nine." |
| He said she had "not been well for a while" and her death "was unexpected [but] wasn't a massive surprise to her family". | He said she had "not been well for a while" and her death "was unexpected [but] wasn't a massive surprise to her family". |
| He added: "That doesn't make it any easier for her mother, her brothers, all the people who loved her very dearly." | He added: "That doesn't make it any easier for her mother, her brothers, all the people who loved her very dearly." |
| Mrs Rudd said: "When she was 21 and doing her finals, she was on a morphine drip in Oxford. We really didn't believe that she would survive very long. | Mrs Rudd said: "When she was 21 and doing her finals, she was on a morphine drip in Oxford. We really didn't believe that she would survive very long. |
| "Every day since then has been a gift and a blessing. I always knew I was going to have to let her go." | "Every day since then has been a gift and a blessing. I always knew I was going to have to let her go." |