It’s now over two years ago since my dear friend Jenny Kerwood, playing for the Hutton FC Ladies, collapsed on the football field during a training session, suffering a cardiac arrest, falling victim to a rare undiagnosed heart condition, ending her life at the young age of just 22.
After the same happened to Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba a couple of months later, he was one of the lucky ones to survive, the general awareness rocketed, but I still wanted to raise more!
On my JustGiving website, I raised over £400, 84% of my target, and am grateful for every donation: https://www.justgiving.com/sonjasjump/
But the biggest surprise contribution came from my employer easyJet, who sponsored me for £250!!!
So, in Jenny’s memory, thanks to Skydive For Free, I joined her above the clouds on the 21st of July and skydived for a good cause- the Cardiac Risk in Young Charity. I always wanted to skydive, so it was great to find a good cause!
It was indescribable, incredible, just awesome! I was the only one excited and looking forward to it. All my friends and family thought I was just crazy! Once we got on the plane and the first couple jumped off and I knew I was next, that was the only second where I went: GULP, I’m next!!!
For the first 45 seconds when we were in free fall, I couldn’t stop screaming/cheering! I was loving it and so glad to get the heart symbol and kiss to the camera before the para shoot came out. Then suddenly everything went silent!
I was able to get myself together again and actually breath and look around and enjoy the view much more. The diver Del allowed me to steer us for a bit, which made me dizzy but it was a cool feeling. Once we landed, I needed a couple of seconds to get my breath and senses back! But it was definitely worth it! When friends asked me if I would do it again, I said why? Been there, done that, loved it!!! I work on a plane every day, now I know how it feels to actually jump off it!!!
Sonja Hodgson
