Hannah Weatherill Skydives for Charity

 Hannah Weatherill is a first year studying German and Spanish, and will be skydiving this Saturday (3rd March) as part of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s, Make Today Count Team 100, where 100 people across the UK are jumping to raise money specifically for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (although some will go to the charity as a whole). Most people are jumping on 29th February (hence the “Make Today Count”, as it only happens once every four years) but some landing sites have scheduled it for the Saturday instead. Her Mum is also jumping near her home in Winchester on the same day.

Around 100 boys are born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy every year in the UK, and about 2500 people are living with it in the country at any time. It’s an as-yet incurable, degenerative muscle disease which leaves most sufferers wheelchair-bound at around 11 years old. As new treatments are being found and specialist care is improving, it’s becoming increasingly common for sufferers to live to their late twenties. She is jumping in memory of her brother, Adam, who died 22nd December 2010, aged 19 (incidentally, the age she is now). He was in his second year studying History at Royal Holloway, University of London.

According to Hannah, “He was an incredible and inspiring person who faced a lot of challenges but was always known for his positive attitude and permanent smile. His death devastated our family and I’m hoping to raise as much money as possible to help raise awareness and find a cure so other families don’t have to go through the same thing.” 

Hannah’s sponsorship has already reached £1000, an incredible amount to be raised by a single person.

“I’m so grateful to everybody that’s already sponsored me, but obviously the more I can raise, the better!”

All sponsorship goes towards groundbreaking research, which has led to some great leaps forward in recent years. According to the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, scientists are tentatively optimistic that they will find a successful treatment in the next ten years.

Written by Hannah Weatherill and standnews team.