Jade completed her Skydive for Sands on 3 August 2019 in memory of her son Aitch. Having heard from Jade after her skydive and what an amazing but emotional experience it was for her, we asked her if she would be happy to share her story about why she took on a Skydive for Sands. Here is Jade telling us about her Skydive experience and why she is supporting Sands...
How and when did you become aware of Sands?
On 6th March 2019 I was full term with my baby when my waters broke 5 days before my due date. Due to my pregnancy being healthy I was sent home to begin labour. When I returned to hospital I was told my baby had died. We spent 4 days in The Clover Room with our baby Aitch. The Clover room had been paid for by Sands. And the midwives gave us a memory box to help us keep our memories. When we left the midwife showed us the Sands App which I’ve used every day since and called the helpline a few times too. That’s how I became aware of Sands.
What made you decide to fundraise for Sands?
I wanted to give something back to Sands who have helped us.
Why did you choose a Skydive?
I lost all feeling and I wanted to feel alive. I needed to get myself sane. I wanted to show my baby I was brave and I wanted to know I wanted to be here.
Did you enjoy the Skydive?
I loved it. I didn’t know at the time but even though there was no rain on the day, I ended up jumping through a rainbow. All my family saw and everyone was crying. We felt my son Aitch was there with us on the day. Aitch actually means Angel with a Scottish origin so that gave us some comfort.
What was your favourite part of the skydive?
My favourite part was free falling. It was an amazing feeling and floating down was incredible. Seeing everything showed me there is still life and I feel stronger since the skydive. I feel I can do anything.
How did you find the fundraising?
I set up a JustGiving page and as it’s all so recent, it touched everyone, so for us it was easy to raise the money. I put the JustGiving page on Facebook and whatsapp.
Would you do it again?
I gained what I needed from it so no, but if Sands wanted me to do another Skydive I would!
If you could say one thing to someone who was thinking of doing a Skydive for Sands, what would you say?
For someone that’s lost a baby, it’s made me feel stronger and braver and keeps his memory alive. I would recommend it highly. The feeling I had after is much better than the feelings I had before.
Sign up for your Skydive this September!
As Jade says - 'I would recommend it highly!' You can find out more information and request a Skydive information pack by emailing teamsands@sands.org.uk which will include information about how to secure your jump date.
Or you can sign up today! Just click here and you can sign up for you jump with Skyline today