Hi everyone,

Thank you for taking the time to review my page. I am planning to complete a 7,000-foot skydive to support a charity that I recently discovered and feel personally connected to.

Pectus Matters is a charity dedicated to advocating for and supporting patients by providing resources, information, and access to medical care for pectus-related conditions (pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum). This work has become especially important due to limitations placed on NHS England funding for pectus treatment. Following a review in 2019, there was deemed to be insufficient evidence to justify the routine commissioning of surgical management for pectus, meaning it is often classified as a “cosmetic procedure.”

There is hope that this decision will be reconsidered following the completion of the RESTORE trial:

https://www.southtees.nhs.uk/services/heart-chest/chest-wall-service/a-randomised-trial-of-surgery-versus-no-treatment-to-restore-cardiopulmonary-function-in-severe-pectus-excavatum/

Pectus conditions can cause a wide range of symptoms, including chest wall deformity, reduced exercise tolerance, shortness of breath, palpitations, tachycardia (a high heart rate), poor posture, and chest pain or discomfort. They can also have a significant psychological impact, including low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, often linked to concerns about physical appearance.

As someone who lives with pectus for as long as I can remember, I have personally experienced many of these challenges—particularly from a mental health perspective. When I was assessed as a teenager, I was told that nothing could be done and that I simply had to accept it. I now know that this is not the case.

Alongside raising funds for the charity, my goal is to help spread awareness of pectus conditions and highlight that patients can and should receive better support than they currently do. I hope to encourage both patients and healthcare professionals to better understand these conditions and how they can be managed to improve quality of life.

I would be incredibly grateful for any donation, no matter how small, or if you could help by sharing this page to raise awareness. Your support will help the charity continue its work and push towards the ultimate goal of restoring NHS funding for treatment, so that people like me can access the care they deserve.

Link to charity itself: https://www.pectusmatters.co.uk/