Tamra Cantore first found fame as the ex-wife of the American meteorologist Jim Cantore. However, she has now established herself in the world due to her work in generating donations for Parkinson's disease.
Cantore has been in the limelight due to her tireless work concerning the fundraising for the research for Parkinson's disease. As a result, many are eager to know about the kind-hearted woman. So, let's learn more about Tamra Cantore's biography and other personal details.
Early Life, Family, And Education
Tamra Cantore was born as Tamra Zinn to her loving parents. According to various sites, she celebrates her birthday on July 4 and was born in 1965. Cantore is very secretive about her early life and family so, not much is known about her childhood days.
While she has not opened up about her family life, Tamra Cantore's LinkedIn page has some information about her education. She attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio from 1976-1980. Tamra graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Design and Visual Communications before pursuing a career in the television industry.
Career
As stated above, Tamra Cantore completed her studies at Bowling Green State University and, after a few years joined The Weather Channel as a sales executive. A year later, she became an affiliate Manager and spent a little over a year in that position.
Cantore continued to serve as the VP of sales strategy and affiliate operations for twenty-one years before quitting her job in 2003. Afterward, Tamra became an investor in Abundant Closet, LLC for four years before founding the fundraising team named Team Cantore.
Tamra's team works under the non-profit organization Parkinson's Unity Walk and is based in Greater Atlanta Area. Through her fundraising team, Cantore has raised more than $1 million for Parkinson's Unity Walk and The Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Since 2004, Tamra Cantore has hosted the Countrified Rock for Research Concert featuring her friend and country singer-songwriter, Jeffrey Steele. Team Cantore has raised thousands of dollars every year from this concert and is one of the top fundraising teams in the Parkinson's Unity Walk event.
Suffers From Young Onset Parkinson's Disease
As stated above, Tamra Cantore has worked on generating funds for Parkinson's research. This is because Cantore herself is a patient of the disorder and has been waiting for the cure for many years. Tamra was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's disease at the age of forty; however, she had seen the symptoms like hand-ticking since she was thirty-seven.
Tamra Cantore was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease when she was forty. Image Source: Social Media.
Cantore revealed that both of her grandfathers had Parkinson's disease, so her case is most probably genetic. At first, Tamra's doctor diagnosed her with essential tremor, but her condition has since been confirmed as Parkinson's disease and she is being treated for the disorder.
Before suffering from the disease, she was an athletic person who loved skiing and playing tennis. However, after her diagnosis, she had trouble continuing to do what she loves. And while she has a movement disorder due to her condition, she is still working on fundraising for the research in the hope that she and many suffering from Parkinson's can be cured.
Tamra Cantore Net Worth And Earnings
While the former executive at The Weather Channel had to leave her job due to her degrading health, Tamra Cantore's net worth must have benefitted from her twenty-one years there. She started her career as a low-level employee but worked her way up and was a significant person who helped TWC gain the success it enjoys now.
As per the comment left by Kathy Lane on Tamra's LinkedIn, she was the one who negotiated the initial contracts with cable networks to help kickstart The Weather Channel's operations. As a result, Tamra Cantore's earnings in the company must have been substantial. Also, she occupied an executive position in the company, so her salary was undoubtedly huge.
After leaving her job at The Weather Channel, Tamra wrote a book titled The Calm Throughout Life's Storms: God-given, Heartfelt Poetry, where she chronicled her journey as a Young Onset Parkinson's patient. In the book, which costs $8.07 for a paperback version, she used her words as a way to share her troubles along with her faith. The used version of the book is also available on Amazon and is priced at $2.41.
As the book's author, Tamra Cantore's net worth must have benefitted heavily from its sales. However, some of the proceeds from the book also go to Parkinson's research which shows the generous nature of the former TWC executive.
As for her ex-husband, Jim Cantore's net worth is estimated to be around $4.5 million. And Tamra must have received a significant amount as spousal and child support after their divorce.
Was Married And Is A Mother Of Two
As stated above, Tamra Cantore is best recognized as Jim Cantore's wife. The pair first met while working for The Weather Channel and got married in 1990. They became parents to two children, Ben Cantore and Christina Cantore. However, after almost two decades together, Tamra and Jim divorced in 2009.
Tamra Cantore has two children, Ben and Christina, from her marriage to Jim Cantore. Image Source: Jim Cantore Instagram.
As for the youngest Cantore family members, just like their mother, who has Parkinson's disease, a brain disorder, Tamra Cantore's children also suffer from a disorder. In their case, Christina and Ben have Fragile X syndrome, a genetic learning disorder. So it is a challenge for the former sales executive to make her young ones understand her condition. Nevertheless, she has managed to take care of them as a single mother after her divorce from the popular meteorologist.
Following her divorce, the Team Cantore founder seems to have stayed away from any romantic relationships and only focusing on her physical and mental health. On the other hand, Tamra Cantore's ex-husband, Jim, has moved on and is currently in a relationship with fellow meteorologist Britley Ritz.
Trivia
- Tamra Cantore's children were only seven and nine when they were diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome.
- She received the Alan Bonander Humanitarian Award in 2007 for her work in raising money for the research of Parkinson's disease.
- She is a devotee of Christ and has said that her faith has helped her continue fighting against her disease.
- Tamra has a caregiver named Linda, who has been helping care for her in her daily life.
