A DAREDEVIL fundraiser has completed an adrenalin fuelled charity skydive to honour the memory of his mum, who lost her battle to cancer earlier this year.
Lizzie Parry
A DAREDEVIL fundraiser has completed an adrenalin fuelled charity skydive to honour the memory of his mum, who lost her battle to cancer earlier this year.
Dale James, 19, of Manor Road, Ipswich, described the terrifying moment when he launched himself from a plane, 10,000 feet above Old Buckenham airfield in Norfolk.
He said: “It was awesome, an amazing experience I enjoyed every second of it.
“I was a bit nervous before hand - I just wanted to do it. When they asked me to put my legs over the edge it became really real for me.
“I was last on the plane so I knew I would be first to jump out. When I jumped I was totally lost in the moment, the best bit for me was the few seconds just after you jump out - when you are falling the fastest and going through the clouds. The view was amazing.”
He added that despite his nerves, he felt completely safe and enjoyed the experience - knowing his mum would have been proud of his achievement because she completed the same jump while battling lung cancer shortly before she died.
He said: “It was brilliant; I knew my mum was up there with me, watching me. I can understand why my mum wanted to do it now, it's no wonder she loved it.”
Cherry James, 44, a nurse at Ipswich Hospital, died in January this year after a three year battle with cancer.
During her treatment she was an avid campaigner, raising money for several cancer charities - completing a bungee jump, the London marathon and the same skydive as her son.
Dale raised £400 for St Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich, which cared for his mum during her illness, and the kind-hearted youngster has vowed to follow in her footsteps and take part in future hair raising stunts.
He said: “I would definitely do it again. It is something I would think about continuing, to raise more money, maybe I will do another tandem skydive or a bungee jump next time, or something harder.
“It was very rewarding raising money for a good cause. I want to continue raising money for charity like my mum did.”
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