Three friends are due to make a skydive on Sunday to raise money for the Epilepsy Society.
Brave Jasmine is pictured, left, with her sister Amber, 3, centre, and mum Candice; Miss Jo Joynes, second right, and Mrs Jo Roberts, right. 100313TM1-1
Miss Candice Moody, 26, of Pierson Street, Newark, organised the skydive to raise awareness of the condition as it affects her seven-year-old daughter, Jasmine Elston.
Jasmine suffered her first seizure and collapsed when she was just 18 months-old and was rushed to hospital.
Miss Moody said that initially the condition was misdiagnosed but after several more seizures she was told that her daughter had epilepsy.
Jasmine, a pupil at the William Gladstone School, Newark, is now under the care of consultants and is regularly seen by them at Newark Hospital; Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, and King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield.
She has to take regular medication but the seizures still happen on a regular basis and Miss Moody said brain surgery was now being considered to help ease the problems.
Said Miss Moody: “Some-times they are just as if she is in a dream but at other times they are full blown seizures.”
Miss Moody said she wanted to do something to help raise money for the Epilepsy Society’s research into the condition.
Her friends, Mrs Jo Roberts, 32, of Beech Avenue, Newark, and Miss Jo Joynes, 40, of Devon Road, Newark, have volunteered to join her.
They are due to jump from a plane at 10,000ft from Langar Airfield in a tandem jump with an instructor.
The owner of the Jolly Friar fish and chip shop on Eton Avenue, Newark, Mr Austin Ryan is helping them to raise money.
A raffle will be held at the chip shop tomorrow and on Saturday and they are still looking for donations.
Mr Ryan said they would continue to raise money for the charity throughout the year and had started the fundraising with a party that realised £210.
A horse racing evening is being planned at the Cardinal’s Hat pub.
Mr Ryan said that people living on the Hawtonville Estate had taken the cause to their hearts.
“There is a great community spirit around here for things like this,” he said.
