Chloe Kinrade from Snape, Suffolk, is taking part in a skydive this Sunday to raise money for TB Alert, after losing her father to tuberculosis 18 months ago.
Chloe chose a skydive as a way to fundraise, in order to honour a promise she had made to her dad, Clay, when he was ill. “I promised him I’d do a skydive when he got out of hospital. He never made it out, but I want to follow through with what I said as I know he will be watching me!”
Before Clay became ill, Chloe knew very little about tuberculosis. “I really thought TB was no longer a problem in the UK and was only something you found in other countries,” says the 24-year-old dance teacher. “So I got a huge shock when I found out Dad had it.”
Clay was rushed to hospital when he became ill and was diagnosed with TB a few days later. He was moved to the critical care unit, and the family were warned he only had a very small chance of survival.
“Dad was so ill that he couldn’t talk so I asked him to squeeze my hand if he was going to fight as hard as he could. And he did. He gave it everything he had,” says Chloe.
Clay was kept in isolation, so other patients couldn’t catch TB, and the family had to wear masks, gloves and aprons for every visit. He spent three weeks in critical care, before losing his battle with TB one night.
“I feel so strongly that people need to be aware of this deadly disease – that’s why I’m doing the jump for TB Alert,” says Chloe. She’s excited about the skydive, but also a little apprehensive. “Five others will be with me for moral support but I’m jumping first!”
To sponsor Chloe, please go to www.justgiving.com/Chloe-Kinrade/
If you’d like to do something fun and different to fundraise for TB Alert, do get in touch with our fundraising team by emailing [email protected]
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