Skydiving 13,000ft for Shout, myself and my dad - Grace’s story

Content note: This piece includes personal experiences of suicide and crisis. Please take care when reading.

After losing her dad to suicide, Grace struggled with her own mental health from an early age. Shout provided an accessible way to reach out when she didn’t feel able to speak in person or on the phone. Now a PhD student using her experiences to help others, Grace took on the ultimate challenge - braving a 13,000ft jump and raising over £1,900 for our service.

On the day my dad died, a part of me died too. As a child, I couldn’t understand why Dad would choose to leave me. Where had he gone? When will he be coming back? It wasn’t until I was older that I understood the depression took him away from me in the same way a physical illness would. I had to navigate life with this giant hole that couldn’t be filled by anyone else.

I began to notice my own feelings of anxiety when I was in Year 9 at school and it only seemed to get worse as I got older - during Sixth Form it became crippling and pretty much took over my whole life. I was sure I wouldn’t act on my feelings but later down the line I was in hospital after trying to take my own life: an action I watched my dad take and felt the horrific consequences of.

When I reached out for support, I found it difficult to speak in person or on the phone about how I was feeling, so I texted Shout. I find it much easier to write it down and share in that way.

My attempt was a few weeks before my 18th birthday, so every year I’m reminded of how lucky I am to be able to celebrate still being alive. I’m now a PhD student conducting research on accessible travel for disabled people with a funded studentship from the Motability Foundation. I have a picture of Dad on the desk in my office so I know he is with me. I play a sport I love with some fabulous ladies, have the sweetest dog and laugh more and more every day. It’s a privilege to recover from my mental health struggles and now be able to use my own experiences to help others.

A huge thank you to Shout, my teachers at King's, my friends, family, counsellor and everyone who has ever, still does and will continue to support me. I’m here thanks to you.

Why I chose to skydive for Shout

I wanted to do something big for my Dad’s big birthday and a marathon crossed my mind but I quickly remembered how much I hate running! Then a skydive popped into my head and I just knew I had to do it. It would have been his 70th birthday on the 27th November 2025 so I did my skydive the day after at Sibson Airfield, Wansford. Thank you to the team for looking after me so well!

In a way, it felt like I was getting closer to Dad. When I was younger, I was always told Dad went up high in the sky to heaven. A skydive meant I was 13,000ft up and therefore 13,000ft closer to Dad. I know deep down that isn’t true, because Dad is with me always, not just up in the sky. Part of him lives through me.

The highlights

I was really nervous the week leading up to the big jump, but the day of the jump and even going up in the plane I was calm. Almost too calm! It’s like my body knew it just had to do this.

I really enjoyed the free fall which was the bit I dreaded most. It’s like an out of body experience because you’re just falling with nothing to hold onto. I was laughing and smiling the whole way until the parachute opened, and I realised how cold it was up there!

My advice to anyone fundraising for Shout would be - do it! Whatever you’re thinking of doing, just go for it. Choose something exhilarating, exciting, scary and fun! I’d highly recommend a skydive!