Castlederg mother with terminal condition to skydive for charity

A Castlederg mother-of-three, who has recently been diagnosed with a terminal rare neurological condition, will soon be taking part in charity skydive to help raise money for a cause close to her heart.

Just three months ago, Denise Harper (née Carlin), who is wheelchair-bound, was given the heartbreaking news that she has Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) – a life-limiting condition of the nervous system that causes gradual damage to the nerve cells in the brain, which affects balance, movement, breathing, and digestion.

But the 58-year-old who is also a self-confessed ‘adrenaline junkie’, and determined to make the most of time she has left, will be jumping out of a plane at the gruelling height of 1,500 feet on Sunday, August 25 – all in the name of Air Ambulance NI (AANI).

Speaking to the UH this week, Denise, mother of Lauren, Emmett and Caolán, and wife of Brendan, explained that the skydive at Coleraine Airfield, near Garvagh, is all part of her mission to complete her special ‘bucket list’ while she still can.

“I did a sky dive before, ten years ago, to help raise money for Foyle Search and Rescue,” she explained.

“And I always promised myself I’d do another one.

“Now it’s the tenth year anniversary, and I feel like it’s the right time – but it is also a bit different, perhaps bittersweet, as I’m in a wheelchair, and this may be the last time I experience anything like this again.”

This time around, Denise has decided to raise money for AANI – a charity who has helped save the life of a member of her close family circle in the past, and who respond to serious trauma and medical emergencies every single day in the North.

“It takes almost £7,000 a day to keep AANI functioning,” she detailed. “They need all the help that they can get.

“I am more nervous about the jump this time than I was ten years ago, however,” Denise admitted.

“This time around, I’ll be given a device that holds my legs up when it is time to land to accommodate for the fact I have no power in my lower body.

“But I know I’ll be taken good care of, and I think the excitement will kick in once I get out of the plane.

“Once I see the tremendous views of the world beneath my feet, such as views of the Mussenden Temple, the rolling hills and the railway, I’ll be happy.”

Denise has been living with MSA for about five years, citing ‘falling frequently’ as the first tell-tale sign of the onset of the condition.

“MSA is rare neurological condition of the brain, where there are three parts of the brain shrinking all at the one time – and they are shrinking faster than they should be for someone my age,” she explained.

“And, unfortunately, the prognosis is poor.

“People that are diagnosed with the condition don’t tend to live longer than seven-to-ten years from its onset. I have been living with it for five years… But I’m not scared of dying – I’m scared of missing out on life’s experiences.

“I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie, and I feel that life has been cut short,” Denise said.

“In the past, I’ve taken part in mud runs and cycles, mountain climbing and zip-lining, and I really do wish that I could do more now – but whatever will be will be.”

As Denise’s illness has progressed, so, too, has her quality of every day life.

“My walking is now non-existent,” Denise described. “I need help everywhere, if I do get up to walk at all, and I have been in a wheelchair for the past 11 months.

“I have physiotherapy once a week, but it can be up-and-down.

“My speech is also affected; I tend to choke on liquids at the minute, but it could also be food later on.

“And my writing is atrocious, due to my deteriorating fine motor skills. I can’t complete simple tasks, like doing up small buttons, for example.”

However, Denise says that she keeps her spirits high by tending to her beautiful garden at her home in Castlederg, under the watchful eyes of her family dogs, King Charles Spaniels, Alfie and Chase, while craft and woodwork classes every Thursday help her stay creative.

Concluding, Denise was keen to thank every single person who has donated, or who will donate, to her fundraiser.

“Thank you so, so much,” she said.

“I appreciate every penny that has been raised for it, and it is going to such a good, worthwhile charity.

“And please, even if you think your donation is minimal, just give any way.

“Every penny counts.”

To donate to Denise’s charity skydive in aid of Air Ambulance NI, please visit: www.justgiving.com/page/denise-harper-1721226107333 or scan the QR code below this article.