Mum and daughter to take leap of faith for charity close to their hearts

LOCAL woman, Tracey Freegard and her daughter Amy Freegard, are taking part in a charity parachute jump to raise money for the cancer support unit in the RUH.

Tracey who has terminal cancer, hasn’t done anything like this before and wants to raise as much money as possible. She said, “I spotted a flyer in the waiting room whilst I was at the hospital having chemo and mentioned it to my daughter. Straight away she said ‘I’ll do it with you’ which is a great support.”

Amy said, “It’s for a great cause so it didn’t take me long to think about it. It has a special meaning to me as well. They’ve helped my mum so much over the last few years and deserve the money.”

Tracey was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago but since then it has spread to her liver, bones and now her spine. She continued, “I had to get permission from the doctors because of my age and obviously because of the cancer, but the doctor signed it off and we went from there.

“It’s going to take a lot for me to do the jump, I get very tired and can experience a lot of pain. It will take a few days for my body to recover.

“My family and friends think I’m mad and are slightly worried, but I’m not. I’m really excited about doing it. We haven’t had a lot of response yet from people, but we’re still hoping to get a lot more donations.

“The charity is very close to my heart and they do a brilliant job in helping people and in raising money to buy better equipment which is much needed. I’ve spent a lot of time at the unit, for myself but also other family members. My husband Vernon died of cancer a few years ago, so we visited the clinic a lot for his treatment.

“It’s the small things that make the experience that little bit easier. A comfortable chair, nicely painted walls and bright pictures do help.”

Tracey’s best friend Mandy Butcher will be going along to watch them but is pleased her feet will be safely on the ground. She said, “I am so proud of them both, especially Tracey. She has been through so much but she is still thinking about other people. It’s just amazing and I hope they raise a lot of money.”

Tracey continued, “Mandy has been a massive support to me through the whole of my illness, including sitting with me all night in A&E at one time. She’s been brilliant for both Amy and myself, we are so grateful for all her support.

“It’s going to be an emotional day. The reasons behind the jump have real meaning to us, so it will be tough. We just hope that people will donate, however much, it all helps. I would say that everyone has been affected by cancer, whether they know someone who has died from it or is going through it themselves. We’re not just doing it for ourselves, we’re doing it for everyone who has used the clinic.”

To donate, visit
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TraceyFreegard  or http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AmyFreegard