What can happen when you get an idea

For about ten years, I had been taking care of my lovely partner, Iris, who had developed dementia and was prone to fall. I had been told never to attempt to pick her up myself as I was getting old, and very frail myself. At eighty-nine - and feeling nineteen - I never took much notice and carried on as usual. However, one afternoon in early October she fell whilst trying to get out of bed. So, I phoned for help but, after about two hours, none came and Iris was getting distressed so I picked her up and put her back in bed and then phoned to cancel the Ambulance.

About two hours later I developed chest pains and was obviously having a heart attack. So, I phoned for a carer to look after Iris and then another Ambulance, which turned up in about ten minutes.

The two young ladies were brilliant and took me off to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital where I was treated and cared for and after four or five days, I was sent home. A friend collected me from hospital and when I arrived home I found Iris had been taken off to a nursing home in Market Drayton.

When I had been taken off to hospital, Iris was unable to understand where I had gone and spent the next three days searching the house for me night and day, the poor woman who had been given the job of caring for her had no sleep for at least two nights. So, it was decided to take Iris into care – which is how she ended up in the Nursing Home in Market Drayton.

And I arrived home to an empty house. At this time, it was made very clear to me I could no longer care for iris as I was in no physical condition to do so. This was on a Thursday - the following day Julie, my PA, arrived and did her usual duties but she was concerned about my general state as I looked quite unwell. However, although I had lost my appetite, I told her I felt alright.

At about this time I had the Idea to raise some money for the RAFA who had taken great care of my son who is a ex Halton Apprentice and had served over 10 years in the service but had issues with PTS and an injured foot.

It occurred to me that a ninety-year-old doing a tandem sky dive should raise a bit of cash – but, at the time, that was all the attention I gave it.

The following day, Saturday, Julie phoned me to say her husband was working all day and she was alone and would I like to go out for lunch. She suggested we went to the Sky Dive Cafe on Prees airfield as the food was good and cheap. I said: “Great I'll sign up for a Sky Dive,” she said: “You’re mad,” or words to that effect.

We duly arrived at the Café. Julie got the food and I signed up for Sky Dive. Then I found out, because of my age, I had to have a doctor’s certificate. I thought: “Oh well, it’s worth a try,” and the following week took the certificate to my doctor - who would not sign it. As it turned out, he was quite right as within another couple of days I went down with another heart attack.

This one was serious and involved a dash to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital through red lights with a lot of siren wailing and blue flashing lights.

I spent a day or so in Shrewsbury and then I was taken to the Cardiac Hospital in Stoke, where, after several x-rays and various scans, the Surgeon came to me and said: “Only 5% of the blood that needs to get to your heart is getting through, we can treat you with medication or we can operate. If we operate, there’s a 50:50 chance you will not survive.”

My reply was: “Operate - I will survive because you will see I do.” His response was: “I wish I was as confident as you.”

As he left one of the nurses came up to me and asked if I was OK. I explained what was going to happen to me and that I was a bit fed up because I had planned to do a tandem sky dive and that would not now be possible. When I explained what it was for and why she said: "That’s OK, I will do it for you”. Her name is Julie Symms. As we chatted, two more nurses joined us and, on learning what Julie had said they both volunteered to jump as well. They were nurses Victoria Williams and Katie Newbon. These three brave ladies are all brilliant nurses and, as I watched them in their work, they were always ready to go the extra mile.

Obviously some one thought I was not going to survive the operation as they sent a Padre to talk to me. This gentleman was The Rev Nimilote Rokotoro (Roko). He had served ten years in the Royal Engineers, having served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He did nothing to save my soul, but we did have a good laugh - I can't remember what about - but it was a joyous interlude.

When I told him about the nurses and what they had proposed, his immediate reaction was: “I will jump for you as well”. So now, on July the 2nd I have three nurses and a reverend, all prepared to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft for the RAFA and RAF Benevolent Fund.

My Target is to raise £100,000, to be split between the two charities. Anything over that will go to dementia research.

My job now is get this event promoted in the best possible way to raise the maximum cash possible.
John Golder
6th March, 2022