RECENTLY, Kelly Rees, 49, and Mark Coles, 39, from Bristol fulfilled a lifelong ambition to do a skydive, something they were determined to do before turning 50 and 40 respectively, and for a charity close to their hearts.
Joined by 18 friends for the jump, both Kelly and Mark were inspired by their younger brothers. Kelly did the skydive in memory of her younger brother Nicky, who lived with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and sadly died in 1995 aged 16; while Mark jumped in support of his younger brother Mitchell, who lives with the same condition. The team took to the skies in support of the charity Muscular Dystrophy UK to raise funds and awareness to help others living with a muscle wasting condition.
Explaining how the event came about, Kelly Rees said:
“I’m turning 50 at the end of this year, and for a long time I’ve wanted to do a skydive for Muscular Dystrophy UK in memory of my little brother. One day I mentioned it to my friend Mark – he loved the idea, so we booked it there and then! His brother Mitchell lives with the same muscle wasting condition my brother Nicky had, so we knew the day would be for them.”
Left: Kelly with her brother Nicky in 1991; Right: Mark with his brother Mitchell.The group skydive took place in Perranporth, Cornwall and Kelly and Mark were joined by 18 friends. Together, the team have raised over £7,800 (and counting) for Muscular Dystrophy UK.
The team’s fundraising was inspired by Kelly’s younger brother Nicky, who lived with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and died in 1995 aged 16, as well as Mark’s brother Mitchell, who is in his early 30s and lives with the same condition. The friends both dedicated the day to their brothers.
Kelly’s brother Nicky wasn’t the only person in their family to live with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Their two cousins were diagnosed at a similar time, and that led to Kelly’s mum and Kelly’s aunt finding out that they were both carriers.
Kelly said:
“Before that time, no one in the family had ever heard of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
“Growing up, I didn’t really think about the condition – Nicky was just my little brother. He was really special, and I’m so proud of the time we spent together. I miss him every day. I remember him as being very intelligent, mature, strong and positive, despite all the pain and challenges he had growing up with a disability. He loved Guns N’ Roses and Bon Jovi, and he was my little star. We used to argue, of course; all siblings do! But I loved him and have so many special memories.
“I remember one day, sitting in the garden with him. Nicky was 14 or 15, so it was only a year or so before he died. He said to me: ‘You see that bright star in the sky? That will be me looking down on you.’”
For Kelly, fundraising for Muscular Dystrophy UK is important so that the charity can continue to fund research into new treatments and hopefully, one day, a cure.
Kelly said:
“I really hope that one day there will be a cure for future generations. But it’s also important to raise awareness and improve understanding. Back in the 90s there was no thought for disabilities. Nicky and all of us in the family were on the receiving end of cruel comments and judgement. I don’t want anyone else to experience that. Even now, three decades on, lots of people have never heard of muscular dystrophy, and it’s important to increase awareness and support individuals and families living with conditions like Duchenne.”
Kelly’s close friend Mark Coles also had a personal reason for taking on the skydive challenge – his younger brother Mitchell lives with the same condition as Nicky.
Mark Coles said:
“Kelly and I have both seen first-hand how cruel Duchenne muscular dystrophy can be. I’m lucky enough to still have my brother Mitchell here, and he’s beating all the odds to this day, but some families are not so lucky and lose loved ones at such an early age. That’s why we wanted to do this and raise as much as possible to help fund research into the condition.
“Kelly and I would like to thank everyone who jumped with us on the day and came along to show their support. But we’d like to give a special shout-out to four people who have really gone the extra mile to be part of this team challenge. When we booked the jump back in January, we didn’t realise there was a weight limit, and it turned out that four people in our team needed to lose weight to take part. Danny, Mark and Seb all lost around a stone to make it happen, and Ashley managed to lose 11kg! We’re so proud and thankful for all their hard work, and grateful to everyone who has donated to this special cause in support of my brother Mitchell and in memory of Kelly’s brother Nicky.”
To support Kelly and the team’s fundraising, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/we-
Find out more about Muscular Dystrophy UK at: www.musculardystrophyuk.org.
