Colchester mum to skydive for charity that helped her whilst son was critically ill
Jess Johnson, 32, from Colchester, will jump from 13,000ft on Saturday to raise funds for The Sick Children's Trust.
The charity provided her and her former partner, Joe, with a place to stay while their son, Jaxxon, was critically ill at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Jaxxon became unwell at just two weeks old in 2019 when he was suffering from bronchiolitis and respiratory syncytial virus, which can be serious in children.
Jaxxon was critically ill at Great Ormond Street Hospital (Image: The Sick Children's Trust)
It led to Jaxxon suffering from a collapsed lung and a bleed on the brain.
He was placed on life support at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and the Sick Children's Trust provided the family with accommodation at their Rainbow House, just minutes from Jaxxon's ward.
Ms Johnson said she is nervous about the 13,000ft skydive but is keen to raise as much money as she can for the charity which helped her when she had nowhere to go.
She said: 'I can't thank The Sick Children's Trust enough.
"I can't lie, I was terrified about the skydive to begin with, and my nerves have been a mess.
"But now we're getting closer to the date, I'm so excited and cannot wait to be up in the sky.
Jaxxon is now thriving (Image: The Sick Children's Trust)
"We stayed at the Rainbow House for five days and honestly, we couldn't have afforded to stay in London without that support, especially over Christmas.
"There was even a Christmas dinner cooked by volunteers and cookies we could bring back to Jaxxon's older brother Roman.
"That meant everything."
A Just Giving page has been set up to support Jessica's skydive, and donations can be made via justgiving.com/page/jessica-johnson-13.
Jaxxon, now five, is thriving despite some ongoing health challenges.
Ms Johnson said: "He's the cheekiest, smartest little boy, and he loves to tell people his story.
Jess Johnson with her dad Rob (Image: The Sick Children's Trust)
"He even stood in the school playground collecting donations for my skydive."
Jess will be joined on the jump by her 55-year-old dad, Rob, a skydiving enthusiast.
She said: "He's absolutely over the moon.
"He's been trying to get me to do this for years."
The funds raised will go directly to The Sick Children's Trust to help provide more families with a warm, welcoming place to stay when their child is seriously ill in hospital.
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