Cosham teenager, 19, skydives from 15,000 ft in memory of her brother - raising thousands for charity
Tia has raised more than £2,000 for Sophie’s Legacy in a charity skydive.
A teenager has raised thousands of pounds for charity in memory of her brother with a fundraising skydive.
Jayden Brookes from Cosham was in hospital roughly one in every four weeks, according to his family, having been diagnosed with dyskeratosis congenita and pulmonary fibrosis. The former is a rare genetic disorder that can cause premature ageing, bone marrow failure, cancer and other complications. Sadly, the 22-year-old died on Thursday, April 30.
His death came quite unexpectedly, following a ruptured spleen. He was taken to Rowan’s Hospice in the final few days, where the family was able to get some final fond memories thanks to their cuddle beds.
In Jayden’s memory, his younger sister Tia took to the skies last weekend as she jumped out of an aeroplane for Sophie’s Legacy - raising more than £2,000 in the process.
Tia, 19, said: “It went really well. There was a lot of other people also raising money for Sophie’s Legacy that day, I think we raised more than £12,000 between us all.
“I ended up doing 15,000 ft instead of the initial 10,000 ft - it just didn’t seem like a lot to me. It was really cold when we first jumped out, which given that we’re having this heatwave was such a nice feeling; it wasn’t so great when the hot air hit again though.
“It feels great to have raised so much money for the charity.”
Jayden was laid to rest earlier this week, but Tia says her family is doing “okay” in the wake of his death. The teenager previously paid tribute to her brother in The News, describing him as a mild-mannered man who was “lovely to be around”.
She added: “The funeral was as good as a funeral can be, and it was a lovely service to remember him.”
At the time of publication, Tia’s GoFundMe page is at almost £2,300, smashing her original £2,000 target. The fundraising page is also still active, allowing people to continue donating.
As for Tia, she plans to do another charity fundraiser at some point, with the family already thinking about supporting Rowan’s Hospice.
She said: “People keep asking if the fundraising page is still open, it’s amazing that they’re still donating.
“We have been thinking of some ideas, like a bingo night or Halloween party, but nothing is set in stone just yet.”
To donate to Tia’s fundraiser, follow this link.