Bridgwater stroke victim completes charity skydive (From Bridgwater Mercury)
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Bridgwater stroke victim completes charity skydive
12:13pm Wednesday 19th December 2012 in News By Kirsty James
Rebecca Thomas and her best friend Nick, who supported her to do the skydive. Photo: submitted.
A STROKE victim has jumped 15,000ft out of a plane to raise funds for the hospitals which saved her life.
Rebecca Thomas, from the NDR estate, suffered a stroke when she was just seven years old and, despite being paralysed down her left side, completed the tandem skydive in Honiton this month.
Rebecca, now 20, said: “I did it to raise money for Acorn Ward at Taunton’s Musgrove Park Hospital and the Neurosurgery Department at Frenchay Hospital, which both saved my life 13 years ago.
“I chose a skydive because I thought it would help me raise the most money. It was terrifying but I’m glad I did it.
“I’d like to thank my best friend, Nick Bell, who also did the skydive, as there’s no way I was jumping without him.”
Rebecca also thanked the company where her dad works, Alpla UK of Bridgwater, for sponsoring her £250 to pay for the jump.
She added: “Lots of people have sponsored me, including Bridgwater College, where I used to study. So far I’ve raised around £1600.”
