Kelly Tittley, 39, from Oldbury in the West Midlands, will be doing a wing-walking challenge on Saturday 8 August 2015 at Breighton Aerodrome, Selby, North Yorkshire at 3pm to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust inspired by her niece Lauren, 10, who has the condition.
Most people don’t understand what cystic fibrosis is, or what it does, until someone close to them is affected by it. They soon discover it’s a life-shortening genetic condition – only half live to celebrate their 40th birthday. It causes the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, to become clogged with thick sticky mucus, resulting in chronic infections and inflammation of the lungs.
Lauren’s diagnosis came as a shock as no one else in the family has cystic fibrosis. No one suspected there were any health problems at first, but from around six months of age, Lauren seemed to deteriorate quickly. She was always unwell, and her growth and development had slowed down. Her parents took her to the GP many times, only to be sent home with an 'it’s a virus' diagnosis. Eventually, they took her to A&E and demanded help, at which point she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis - she was now 14-months-old.
Kelly says “As a family we felt angry with the delay in her diagnosis and upset as the reality of her condition set in. We are a close family and we support each other through the challenges. Lauren leads a normal life as far as possible and being the most courageous and headstrong person that she is, embraces every challenge. She was diagnosed with diabetes at the beginning of this year and whilst we were all upset, she just got on with it.”
Kelly is no stranger to fundraising for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and recently hosted a stand at the Pensnett Fun Day on the 12 July to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis. “I and other family members have been fundraising on and off for about eight years and must be close to having raised nearly £10,000 between us in that time. When you have a loved one with a problem, your instinct is to help and we find fundraising helps take away the feelings of helplessness”.
“I have done many things to challenge myself over the years but this needed to be something else! I wanted to do something that represented the fear and challenges that Lauren has to face regularly throughout her life by doing something that terrifies me and truly challenges me as a person” says Kelly. “It’s my 40th birthday on 10 August and I would like my friends and family to donate to my fundraising page rather than give me cards and gifts. My family think I'm completely nuts, but they support me all the way. My children in particular are fantastic in their support and enthusiasm, and I'm very proud of them.”
Cystic Fibrosis Trust Community Development and Fundraising Manager, Gemma Walder says: “Kelly is extremely brave taking on a wing walk and she should be very proud of herself. We are extremely grateful to her for taking on this challenge to raise money for us as well as the continued fundraising by her and her family. Money raised at this evening will enable the Cystic Fibrosis Trust to invest in better treatments. It will also provide support to those with cystic fibrosis and their families and help the Trust to drive up standards in medical care.”
Anyone wanting to sponsor Kelly may do so by visiting: https://www.justgiving.com/Kelly-40/
