Sky diver Katie Sanderson’s only disappointment on completing her first sky dive is that dad Darren wasn’t there to see her overcome her fear of heights.
St Luke's patient Darren died after losing his battle with cancer in 2015.
And it was his loss that prompted nursery apprentice Katie, who is 18 and lives with mum Claire and brother Robbie in Stannington, to raise more than £1,000 for us by taking part in her first sky dive.
“I remember talking to my dad about doing a sky dive but he said I never would, that I wasn’t brave enough,” Katie admits.
“That just made me more and more determined to do it though – just to prove him wrong!”
And having experienced the standard of care that the whole family received from St Luke’s gave Katie the extra determination to go ahead and take the plunge.
“Being at St Luke’s made my dad’s last few days really special,” says Katie. “The way that everybody looked after him was incredible and that allowed him to spend his last days in peace, with lots of lovely people surrounding him.”
And having raised so much money with her first jump – a final total of £1,190 - Katie admits she might finally have conquered her fear of heights.
“I actually would do it again,” she says. “And if I do, my mum says she might join me.
“I think my dad would be shocked that I did it – but proud of me too proving I could do it and raising so much for St Luke’s.”
There’s still time to support Katie’s sky dive by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Katie-Sanderson3