​Wythenshawe woman completes ‘two jumps’ in memory of her dad

Linda Thorne, 28 from Wythenshawe, has bravely completed two ‘Jumps for Doug’ and raised almost £800 for the Stroke Association, in memory of her father who passed away after a stroke.

Linda’s dad Douglas Thorne collapsed on 06 August and was told by hospital staff he’d had several strokes. However on 16 August, Doug had a major stroke which left him in intensive care and he sadly passed away 12 days later, aged just 63.

In touching memory of her dad, support worker Linda chose to take part in different fundraising jumps throughout the month of March. Linda has now completed a sky dive and a shark dive to raise money for the Stroke Association. She is also planning to complete a bungee jump later in the year.

Linda said: “My mum passed away in 1999 so my dad and I were very close; I was his shadow. The challenges have been a way to do something meaningful in my dad’s memory. Each jump was surreal in its own right - being in the shark tank was like being in another world and I would love to do it again! The sky dive was beautiful and the views are something else altogether. I think sky diving is something everyone should experience for themselves at least once in their life. My ears have only just popped too! I chose to raise funds for the Stroke Association to help other families affected by stroke to get the support they need.”

Laura McMullin, Regional Fundraiser at the Stroke Association, added: “With around 152,000 strokes a year in the UK – that’s around one every three and a half minutes - it is vital that we have people like Linda who can raise funds for people affected by stroke. We’re really grateful to her for taking on this incredibly brave challenge.”

To sponsor Linda, visit www.justgiving.com/Lindy-Lou-3Jumps. For more information about stroke, visit stroke.org.uk or call the helpline on 0303 3033 100.