Terrified Flyer Volunteers to Sky-Dive for Charity

Fast Forward volunteer Mhairi Smith, 25, jumped out of a plane on July 26th to raise money for Meningitis Now, despite the fact that she’s terrified of flying.

Over the year my fear has lead to many an awkward and embarrassing moment, she says.

“I broke my dad’s thumb once during turbulence, have been approached by flight attendants on numerous occasions who assumed that my hysteric crying was the result of some kind of injury, only for them to be told that actually I’m just hysterical, and on one occasion I had a fellow passenger ask to change seats because I was ‘freaking them out!’”

Meningitis Now

So why put yourself through such a terrible ordeal as skydiving? “Meningitis Now are an incredible charity that do some truly wonderful work. My involvement with them began last February after my little cousin Gregor, who was only 13 years old, was taken by this cruel disease in only a matter of hours. I was living in Catalonia, Spain at the time and received a call from my Dad in the morning with the worst news I have probably ever had in my life. By that afternoon I was on a plane flying home and up all those thousands of feet I found myself looking out of the plane window looking down on the clouds. In that moment whilst trying to make sense of something that there was no sense to make of, I realised I had forgotten to be scared of flying. Somehow my silly little phobias and eccentricities seemed so insignificant.”

A Devastating Illness

Meningitis and associated illnesses such as septicaemia are caught by an estimated 3,200 individuals per year, according to the Meningitis Research Foundation. Despite being treatable, a third of survivors suffer life-altering effects such as loss of limbs, hearing loss and brain damage. Meningitis Now recently won a campaign for the NHS to make the Meningitis B vaccine to be available for free, rather than for a private cost of up to £600.

Care and Support

Mhairi has also found the pastoral support from Meningitis Now invaluable. “They were involved with my family from that first day and have remained involved since. Not only do they strive to find a cure for this devastating disease, they also provide support for families who have been affected. They are involved on a personal level, and the CEO even visited my Uncle himself. After living through what has happened to my family, I decided to join the fight so that Meningitis Now can continue to support families like mine, but also so that families in the future will never have to experience the pain that it can cause.” “Last Summer I got I touch with family who had lost their young daughter Daisy. They were planning a nationwide walk from The Wirral in England all the way up Aberdeen, done in stages and called “The Daisy Chain.” My younger brother and I decided to take part in the Fife section of the chain by walking 26 miles. As not the fittest folks in the world this was a huge challenge for us both, but we did it and raised £450 for the charity. This year I hope to beat that by setting myself an even bigger challenge!”

To donate, visit:

http://meningitisnowforeverfunds.tributefunds.com/fund/Mhairi’s+Jumping+Out+Of+A+Plane!!!/showFund/

To learn more about volunteering for Fast Forward, visit:

https://fastforward.org.uk/site-information/volunteering.html