Facing heights for hospice: Taking a leap of faith at 15,000 feet

This May, I will be facing my biggest fear and jumping 15,000 feet for a charity skydive to raise vital funds for patients and families facing a life-limiting illness.

So, why on earth have I signed up to take on such a monumental challenge? Well, let me tell you.

As events manager at North Devon Hospice, I consider myself truly honoured to have the job that I do. Every day, I get to see how the money donated and raised by our amazing community helps local patients and families get the care and support they need to navigate their toughest times.

Every day, I see the compassion, comfort, and love that this wonderful charity wraps around those in our care; I can’t explain how powerful this is.

Even before I started working here, I knew what a special place the hospice is as it has been part of my life personally for many years.

While helping as a volunteer gave me a small glimpse into hospice life, several of my loved ones, including two very dear friends, have also been nursed by the incredible care teams here, enabling me to witness first-hand the huge difference having this vital support can make.

My Dad was also referred for hospice care but sadly passed away before he was admitted.

Although these experiences have each made me realise what a lifeline the hospice is for so many people, a real turning point for me came last Christmas when a young boy the same age as my son was visiting someone special to him on the hospice’s Bedded Unit.

While losing a parent is always devastating, to see someone so young go through that just broke my heart. This was the motivation I needed to go outside my comfort zone and do something big to help even more families facing the impacts of a life-limiting illness.

So, I signed up for the most terrifying challenge I could think of; a skydive!

When I told my husband and two children about my skydiving challenge, they couldn’t and still can’t quite believe I’m doing it but of course, have been wonderfully supportive!

My mum and stepdad have also been thrown by the news, but my mum’s words were “Lisa, I know you’ll do it because when it means something to you, you always get the job done!”

Similarly, my friends all think this is by far my craziest challenge yet, but the love and support they’ve all shown me have been so encouraging. I couldn’t feel more blessed to have so many people around me giving a guiding hand, and that’s exactly what North Devon Hospice does for those in our care.

 The money I raise from my skydive will go directly towards the £6.2 million we need annually to care for over 3,000 local patients and families not just here at the hospice but out in the community, in patients’ own homes too.

Geographically, we have the largest area to cover of any hospice in the UK and travel to some of the most rural villages to ensure people get the best support possible at a time when they need it most, 365 days a year.

In comparison to the journey our patients and families have to go through every day, a skydive is nothing. On Saturday 18th May, I’ll be taking the leap of faith at Dunkeswell Airfield with 7 other awesome people who are also fundraising for North Devon Hospice.

If you’d like to support us as we take on this epic challenge, please keep a look out online as we’ll all be posting information about our fundraising events, which we’d love you to join us for, and links to our donation pages.

Equally, if you’d like to take the leap of faith with us or find out more about our other fundraising challenges, please visit northdevonhospice.org.uk.

Thank you so much for your wonderful support.