Woman with leukaemia skydives on her 90th birthday
Go Shirley! Leukemia-afflicted woman parachutes on her 90th birthday and raises £5,000 for homeless charity
While many 90-year-olds prefer to celebrate their birthday with a low-key celebration, one of them achieved her milestone by skydiving – raising £5,000 for a homeless charity.
Shirley Robinson, from Long Clawson in Leicestershire, jumped from a plane at 4,000 feet for the fundraiser at Skydive Langar in Nottinghamshire.
The OAP, who was diagnosed with chronic leukemia last year, raised the essential funds for Crisis, a charity that provides help and support to the homeless.
Speak against BBC news Shirley said, ‘It’s just amazing how generous people have been. It’s beautiful.’
In a video of the jump, Shirley can be seen donning a bright blue jumpsuit while being cheered on by family and friends before boarding the plane.
She beamed and waved at the camera while strapped to her skydiving instructor.
After Shirley’s adrenaline-filled skydive, she landed safely in a field and can be heard saying ‘that was amazing’.
When asked about her favorite part, she said, “That was great, going through the clouds.”
She admitted afterwards that the free fall was “a bit breathtaking” but she “loved it” before thanking her attendant for looking after her.
Shirley returned with a hero’s welcome as her family and friends cheered and congratulated her.
A spokesperson for the charity said: ‘We would like to say a huge thank you to Shirley for the incredible amount she has raised.
“Shirley’s donation will provide essential support to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. We are so grateful.’
Shirley Robinson, from Long Clawson in Leicestershire, skydives with Leukemia on her 90th birthday and raises £5,000 for a homeless charity
She jumped from a plane at 4,000 feet for the fundraiser at Skydive Langar in Nottinghamshire
The OAP, who was diagnosed with chronic leukemia last year, raised the essential funds for Crisis, a charity that provides help and support to the homeless
It comes after an 81-year-old runner, who aims to complete 300 marathons, revealed that the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon was ‘one of the very best’.
Hilary Wharam from Leeds, who started running at the age of 55, completed her 175th marathon on Sunday.
The retiree, who completed the marathon in eight hours and fifteen minutes. said, ‘It was great. I never expected it to be this good.’
Speak against BBC news she revealed that many people came by to cheer her on during the run, which helped her cross the finish line.
She beamed and waved to the camera as she was strapped to her skydive instructor on the plane
After Shirley’s adrenaline filled skydive she landed safely in a field and can be heard saying ‘that was amazing’
In a video of the jump, Shirley can be seen donning a bright blue jumpsuit while being cheered on by family and friends before boarding the plane
She said, “So many people know me, not just the runners but from other disciplines, so while I was running, people jumped out of the crowd to give me a hug.”
Hilary admitted that when the finish line marathons start to get tough, it helps to have people to talk to.
She said, “It’s always hard, it’s harder on yourself, but when you have a captive audience and you think about helping them, you just fly because you’re not focusing on yourself at all.”