Mum from Winterton takes on charity skydive in memory of 17-month-old daughter

A mum from Winterton who has never even stepped foot on a plane before has now jumped out of one in memory of her daughter Lilley.

Aimee Hemstock took on the skydive on August 21 to raise money for The Sick Children's Trust, a charity who supported her before 17-month-old Lilley passed away.

Lilley was diagnosed with a hole in her heart and a butterfly vertebra, a condition in which the halves of the vertebra fail to fuse together, shortly after birth.

She was later diagnosed with a rare condition which meant that her throat did not connect to her stomach properly and needed emergency surgery.

Lilley was transferred from Scunthorpe General Hospital to Leeds Children's Hospital for the procedure and The Sick Children's Trust provided Ms Hemstock with a place to stay in Leeds for free during the four weeks Lilley was in hospital.

Sadly, Lilley began to struggle with her breathing and passed away in 2017 while waiting for another procedure.

Ms Hemstock said: "Being able to stay at The Sick Children’s Trusts ‘Homes from Home’ was such a massive help as without them I would have had to rely on my parents driving me to and from the hospitals.

"I wouldn’t have been able to spend as much time with Lilley, and when your child is critically ill where you’re going to stay is the last thing you’re thinking about.

"Thanks to this amazing charity I didn’t have to worry about any of that.

"I want to raise as much as possible so they can support more families like mine in the future.

"I’ll be forever grateful for the charity’s support and the time they gave me with Lilley."

Ms Hemstock took on the skydive in celebration of the charity's 40th anniversary and in memory of her beloved daughter.

She added: "It was an amazing experience and where I’ve never been in a plane before, my first time was beyond exciting.

"It was such a surreal experience, which I would definitely, 100% do again.

"I loved every minute and I’m so pleased with myself that I took on this challenge.“It was definitely an experience I will never forget and I am so glad that I got the chance to do it for The Sick Children’s Trust to fundraise for them as I know it will help other families in the future and that is all that matters to me.”

Charlotte Coldrey, community fundraising officer at The Sick Children's Trust, said: "Taking on a skydive is an incredibly brave way for anyone to raise money, but for someone like Aimee who has never been in a plane it is absolutely amazing.

"We’re celebrating a huge milestone at The Sick Children’s Trust this year and it’s fantastic to have 40 committed supporters who are willing to take on this challenge to raise money and mark this achievement.

"As a charity we rely on the generosity of our supporters and fundraisers like Aimee to make sure we can continue to be there supporting more families.

"While we do not charge families to stay in any of our ten ‘Homes from Home’, it does cost the charity £40 to support a family for one night."

Ms Hemstock has raised more than £600 so far and is hoping to raise more.

You can donate to her Just Giving page here.