After Dad died, fundraising gave me a sense of purpose
In May 2024, our supporter Amy sadly lost her dad after a fall which caused his lung to collapse. He also had COPD. Here she tells us how fundraising for Asthma + Lung UK in his memory gave her a sense of purpose.
In May 2024, my dad Neil was spending time in his garden when he had a fall which broke all of his ribs and punctured his lung, collapsing it and causing subcutaneous emphysema. Neil also had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
He spent a month in intensive care, putting up an extremely tough fight before the complications he experienced became too much. Dad passed away peacefully with us by his side in June.
I decided to fundraise for Asthma + Lung UK and the paramedics at Essex & Herts Air Ambulance who quickly arrived after Dad’s fall.
Taking on two challenges for my dad
I chose to do two challenges in memory of my wonderful dad. For my first challenge I completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks, a 24-mile hike in the Yorkshire dales with a 12-hour target.
It was very challenging with lots of elevation in between the peaks. On the day, the weather was terrible with 30mph winds. The last peak was the toughest but we were able to complete the hike in 10 hours and 45 minutes.
I also completed a skydive at 15,000 feet along with my dad’s best friend. When I told people that I was doing a skydive they said that I was brave.
I felt brave like Dad was
The morning after Dad died I woke up feeling brave like he was, not sadness. Time is so limited and life is so short, I tried to look at things in a pragmatic way. At no point did I feel scared, worried or anxious. I just felt excited to do the skydive.
We put notes in my dad’s suit before he was cremated, and on one of my notes I wrote ‘meet me in the sky’ as the skydive was near where he passed away.
I know my Dad would be so proud
The support I’ve had has been incredible, especially the support from my close friends as they helped pull me out of times of doubt. I’m so grateful to every single person who has donated.
With grief there can be a sense of what does life mean for me now and what is next. The thing that kept me going is knowing that I’m fundraising to support people with lung conditions like Dad. I know he would be so proud.
A huge thank you to Amy for fundraising £1,000 for Asthma + Lung UK. Fundraising in someone’s name is a special way to honour their memory. If you're interested in arranging a fundraiser to remember your loved one, we have lots of options. Visit our website to find out more.
We empower people with lung conditions to make changes that can be transformative.
Please donate now to help make sure people with lung conditions can live well this year.
Other Your Stories posts you may like:
Other posts you may like
Chloe was diagnosed with asthma as a child. As she got older, her symptoms had completely disappeared. But when she started university, this changed. Here she tells us how getting active has helped her manage her asthma - and changed her life.