Staff member Amber Hicks took on a skydive for CW+, raising more than £1,350 for two paediatrics funds.
I’ve worked at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for nearly a decade, and am currently a patient administrator at West Middlesex University Hospital. This year I decided to take my commitment to my job to new heights, quite literally, by doing a skydive to raise money for CW+ in memory of my lovely grandmother, Rose Brewster.
‘I wanted to raise as much money as I could for our younger patients’
I really love working for the Trust and wanted to raise as much money as I could for our younger patients across both hospital sites. I therefore chose to split the money between two paediatrics funds, one of which supports music therapy – a cause very close to my heart. It’s such an important thing and it really does help patients.
I had actually done a skydive once before, the last time was in Hawaii in 2012 a few days before my wedding – I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it down the aisle afterwards! Luckily, it was a brilliant experience and I was grinning from ear to ear while I made my descent!
‘I could hear myself shouting “wheeee!” as I span’
This time around, I didn’t feel nervous until the moment I had to jump out of the plane. Knowing you’re literally plummeting to earth is pretty scary, but during freefall I relaxed and was able to marvel at the scenery below. Once the parachute had deployed we were doing twirls in mid-air. The instructor showed me how to do this by myself – I loved it and could hear myself shouting ‘wheeee!’ as I span. The final moments went smoothly, and when I stood up after landing and looked up at the sky, I could hardly believe what I’d just done – but I’m so glad I did it. I loved both my jumps and would definitely do another one!
A big thank you to Amber for supporting CW+. If her story has inspired you to take on a challenge, take a look at our events below.
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