A DROITWICH woman is undertaking a daring parachute jump for The Epilepsy Society in memory of her brother who died 20 years ago.
Cassie Finlan, 37, will undertake the tandem skydive at Brackley Airfield in June. As well as being the nearest place to her home it also holds a treasured memory for Cassie.
She told The Standard: “My mum and stepdad had a pub in Brackley and he had come up to see us and that was the last time we saw him alive.”
Simon Finch, who had epilepsy, passed away at the age of 21 in 1997 following a tragic accident.
He had suffered an epileptic fit whilst running a bath, banged his head and drowned in the water, leaving the family devastated.
Cassie said: “We had lost a few people that year and then that happened.”
She said Simon had always wanted to work but was limited to what he could do because of his epilepsy.
“He loved cooking but was unable to work in a kitchen because of the sharp knives and other hazards.”
Simon was awaiting his green card, a kind of tick-box licence which authorises what a person can and cannot do work-wise.
“He was always coming home with cuts, bruises and even, one day, a broken arm because of how he had fallen while having seizures.
“Back then you had to grab their tongue to stop them from swallowing it and put their head on a pillow – apart from that you were powerless.
“I know some people now who have epilepsy who control it pretty well with a couple of tablets.”
She added she wanted to raise as much money as possible for The Epilepsy Society so further strides could be made into researching the condition and improving treatments.
For the 20th anniversary of Simon’s death, I wanted to do something special I’d remember and something to put me out of my comfort zone.
“I’m not usually scared of heights but I think looking down through the doors of a plane, thousands of feet up could be a different story.
“I want to help the charity so tragedies like this don’t happen to others with epilepsy.”
Next Friday (April 28), Cassie will also be holding a charity night at Droitwich Working Men’s Club.
The event, taking place at the venue between 7pm and midnight, will feature a disco, some table magic and a buffet.
Tickets are £10 and are available on the door, from the club or by calling Cassie on 07872 019255.
Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Cassie-Finlan1 to sponsor her for the skydive.
