This Christmas I wanted to make sure my son Dougie and his younger sister, Allie, were given the gift of an amazing experience. On Christmas Day they opened an envelope to see an indoor skydiving experience with iFLY. They were so very excited, and to see the joy in their smiles is a memory I will never forget.
We arrived on a rainy and miserable day to the Xscape centre in Milton Keynes. The children rushed inside, were warmly greeted by the person at the desk, they met their instructor and got kitted up. Before I had bought the experience I had checked if the indoor skydiving was suitable for children with disabilities, and was pleased to find they actively encouraged people with disabilities to come along. So when I got there I spoke to his instructor, Jacob, who was absolutely amazing.
The first to fly was my daughter, who is only 4. She was incredibly brave and lasted a whole flight, but wasn’t keen to go again. Which meant Douge would get 3 flights and not 2. When Dougie entered the flight zone he instantly took to it, fearless, full of joy and perfect flying position. The energy of his instructor was clear, you could see he was impressed and having just as much fun as Dougie! He span him round, put him on his head and let him fly on his own for short moments. You can watch his amazing flights here
I am so proud of Dougie, and his sister, for their amazing attitude to trying new things. They are so full of life and positive, and they keep me going and give me hope every single day. These moments are made ever more special for our families, due to the fact that we know just how precious life is.
And yes, Dougie wants to go back for more flights!
I wish all our families and supporters a Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing what amazing things you are all doing, so do please keep me posted! victoria.young@actionduchenne.org
It’s Dip Time!
