A paralysed mother-of-two who finished the London Marathon in robot suit and raised £1m for charity has died in a Middle East ‘accident’.
Claire Lomas, 44, who was paralysed from the chest down since 2007, died following an unknown accident in Jordan on August 22.
Ms Lomas, who broke her neck, back and ribs and punctured a lung when her horse threw her off as she took part in the Osberton Horse Trials in Nottinghamshire 17 years ago, raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity.
The former chiropractor, from Eye Kettleby, near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, completed the London Marathon in 17 days in 2012 using the ‘bionic’ suit, raising thousands of pounds for the Spinal Research charity.
Ms Lomas, who was also a motivational speaker and qualified pilot, was made an MBE by Prince William in 2017 who said he was ‘honoured’ to meet her upon presenting the award.
A statement from her family, including her parents Martin and Joyce, read: ‘We are absolutely devastated to lose Claire. We would ask people to respect our privacy in the coming days to allow us to grieve in peace.’
Claire Lomas, 44, who was paralysed from the chest down since 2007, died following an unknown accident in Jordan on August 22. Claire pictured with daughter Maisie in 2012
Claire Lomas, 44, was paralysed in a horse riding accident but decided to dedicate her life to fundraising
Claire completing the 2012 London Marathon after 16 days
Claire Lomas at the paralympic games with the torch relay cauldron lit in Trafalgar Square, London, in 2012
Ms Lomas lived with her husband Dan and their two daughters, Maisie and Chloe.
The family has announced a funeral will be held at St Mary’s Church, in Melton Mowbray, but the date is yet to be confirmed.
Ms Lomas’s severe injuries in May 2007 included, breaking her neck, back and ribs and puncturing a lung when her horse threw her off.
The injuries caused her to be paralysed from the chest down and went through a long period of depression, which she detailed in her first book, Finding My Feet.
Ms Lomas chose to focus her efforts on raising funds for paralysis through the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation (NSIF).
She got global attention in 2012 when she became the first paralysed person to complete the London Marathon using a robotic suit, raising £220,000 for the NSIF.
For her efforts she was given the honour of lighting the Olympic cauldron for the Paralympic Games in London 2012.
The last picture of Claire she posted on social media
She also completed the Great North Run and Great South in the robotic suit, and handcycled 400 miles around the UK in another fundraising success.
After becoming disabled, she learned to ride motorcycles at high speeds and ski using adapted skis.
Tara Stewart, chairwoman of Spinal Research, which funds medical research around the world to develop reliable treatments for paralysis caused by a broken back or neck, said: ‘We are deeply shocked and saddened to hear of Claire’s death.
‘She was a great supporter of ours, and other spinal injury charities, and a guiding light to the entire community.
‘It was in 2012 that she raised a staggering amount for Spinal Research by walking the London Marathon over 17 days in a robotic suit and she continued to be a powerhouse of positivity and a real inspiration to so many.
‘This is a devastating loss and our thoughts are with her family.’
Great Run posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying: ‘We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of the inspirational fundraiser, Claire Lomas MBE.
An old photo of Claire with her daughter Maisie
‘Claire made history as the first person in the UK to walk with a bionic ReWalk suit, inspiring runners across the UK and beyond.
‘Over the past decade, Claire completed many Great Run Series events alongside her dedicated support team, as part of an incredible fundraising drive, raising almost £1 million for charities.’
Paul Foster, chief executive of Great Run, said: ‘Claire was a true inspiration. Her achievement in completing the 2016 Great North Run was one of the most powerful moments in the long history of the event.
‘Everyone at Great Run was devastated to hear of her passing, and we will pay tribute at next week’s Great North Run. Our thoughts and love are with her parents Martin & Joyce, husband Dan, and their two young daughters, Maisie and Chloe.’
Independent Thinking posted on its website saying it was ‘devastated’ to learn of the death.
It said: ‘We first met up with Claire last year and we knew immediately she would make an important contribution to our work with schools, not only as a source of inspiration but also as living example of finding the positives in the negative, of refusing to believe in limitations, and of being uncompromising in how a life can be led.’
The statement added: ‘She will be missed by everyone who met her and who were both humbled and inspired by her.’
