Brave woman takes on charity skydive for mother

Natasha Allmark from Wolverhampton is taking on the epic challenge in February, alongside her friend Shara Bennett, who lost her grandmother to vascular dementia caused by multiple strokes.

Natasha's mum, Jacqueline Guy had her first TIA (a mini stroke) at the age of 21, a second one at 33 and a major stroke at 39, which left her with no use of her right arm or leg, limited memory and limited speech.

A few years later, Jacqueline had another stroke and now she is on medication for the rest of her life to prevent another one and to control any conditions and complications as a result.

Despite being terrified of heights, Natasha chose to do a charity skydive as it is something her mum has always wanted to do but never had the chance to because of her debilitating condition.

She added: "My family are very proud, and I am excited to show my mom the footage of the skydive, and how much we will manage to raise. She will probably cry, but in a good way.

"Above all I just want stroke and its consequences recognised more, we both do. I think it is easy for people to forget once the initial stroke is over, just how much it affects peoples lives.

"My mom had to be cared for for years by us as teenagers, from the most basic needs to the most complex and even now she still struggles and she will never be able to live safely alone."

Natasha has pledged to continue raising funds to support the charity which is close to her heart.

She said: "I am raising money for The Stroke Association because they do vital work on behalf of stroke survivors, on a personal level - helping survivors get the right treatment, help and support, and also with regards to research, funding, and policies that affect stroke survivors and their families.

"I have also always felt that stroke seems to get overlooked considering it is one of the three biggest killers in the UK, and in fact globally. The Stroke Association are the biggest UK stroke charity so it seems an obvious choice.

"We really are doing it to raise as much money as is physically possible, but we have a target of £1000 for sponsorship of the actual skydive."

To donate visit Natasha's JustGiving page.