“Fundraising for research is important to me”: why I did a skydive for my 75th birthday

Retired teacher Jill McIntosh is no stranger to adrenaline challenges and on 14 September, the day before she turned 75, she jumped out of a plane to raise money in support of her grandson, who lives with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy. Jill tells us why she wanted to celebrate her birthday with a skydive.

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I always like to do something to celebrate significant milestone birthdays. When I turned 60, I did Go Ape in the Lake District and then around the time of my 70^th birthday, I did an abseil for Muscular Dystrophy UK. When I heard someone mention skydiving at an MDUK Information Day, I just thought ‘why not?’ I’m sure it’s much easier than running a marathon or climbing a mountain. So, that was my 75^th birthday challenge!

Helping to raise money for research into muscle wasting conditions is important to me as my 10-year-old grandson, Daniel, has a form of muscular dystrophy.

Daniel was diagnosed with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy at the age of three. My husband Kevin and I only live a few doors away from our daughter Heather, son-in-law Martin and two grandchildren, Matilda and Daniel, so we see the impact the condition has on the family on a day-to-day basis.

We knew something was wrong early on, but it took quite a long time for Daniel to get a diagnosis. He has never been able to stand or walk and was showing some classic symptoms such as overly flexible joints in his hands. As he’s got older, his condition has progressed, and he now needs to wear a mask overnight to help with his breathing as well as having liquid feeds through a PEG tube. But he’s determined to become more independent and prove he can do things on his own, like get in and out of his wheelchair and change out of his uniform after school.

Despite all the challenges he faces, Daniel is a bright, cheerful, fun-loving little boy who has lots of friends and a great sense of humour. He loves gaming online with his friends and is very good at maths. His school have been extremely supportive, ensuring they are as inclusive as possible and adapting activities and events to make sure he gets the same opportunities as his peers, which has helped a lot. And Daniel’s parents are just remarkable.

I was a teacher before I retired and have a degree in biology so have a keen interest in gene replacement research. Fundraising to further research into possible treatments is very important to me, but also to help fund the charity’s helpline and support services which I’ve found to be helpful as I’ve met people in a similar situation.

I wanted to raise as much as possible by doing this skydive. I started off setting myself a target of £500 but then increased it to £1,000 and exceeded that too! I’m so grateful for everyone’s support.

I was lucky with the weather on the day and all the family was there to support me. The first part was terrifying – free fall at 100mph. But when the parachute opened it was brilliant – very peaceful and beautiful views for miles.