It was a sunny spring day in April 2021 that I clicked the button of no return and officially signed up to the Maggie’s Wing Walk. The reactions from friends and family were as expected, ‘you are bonkers’, but I knew that one act could help others, as well as challenge myself.
Every year I have tried my best to do one activity to give back, it is a target I set myself around seven years ago. I started with fundraising walks, volunteering, runs, donating blood – all of which came to a stand still when Covid-19 hit. Like many of us, the world was so unpredictable, it sent everything up in the air and we were all just trying to make sense of our new reality. Personally, it impacted my mental health, and for others, you would hear about the impact on health care access, diagnosis and treatment. It reiterated the importance of places like Maggie’s, that offer people cancer support and a safe place turn to during one of the most difficult times of their lives.
It felt like I just had to do it when I saw the Maggie’s Wing Walk, I knew it would help raise money for this incredible charity, but I also knew I needed it. I needed to challenge myself and show myself that I can do something out of the box, a bit bonkers, a bit crazy, and by taking that flight I could do something good with purpose. It was not long after clicking the button though that the nerves set in, one to do it and two to raise the money!
Fundraising went well, family and friends had been very generous, so then it was just down to doing it on the day. Safe to say I did question my sanity when I turned up to the airfield, as I watched one person after the other take to the air, each one returning with a different facial expression. The lady before me unfortunately came down rather queasy, this did not bode well for my already shot nerves. Then my name was called, I was up, safety briefing done, strapped in, waving to the smiling faces who didn’t have to head 700 feet into the air.
Before I knew it, I was up in the air, flying in the sky strapped onto the top of plane. The force of the wind was intense and it was bitterly cold, however despite that, the view was incredible. My adrenaline had kicked in and it was the most exhilarating experience. The nerves washed away, and I enjoyed every second of it. What made it even more special was knowing that I had done it, and I had done it for Maggie’s.
I guess the moral of the story is that pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone sometimes can not only help us, but also help others. Do check out Maggie’s, they are a wonderful charity, and if you fancy doing the Wing Walk, they have dates available for this year: https://www.maggies.org/get-involved/find-event/events/wing-walk-for-maggies/