Millie from Worthing, who has struggled with mental health problems herself, has decided to help others by plunging from 15,000 feet in the air. Her charity skydive has now raised over four times the original target. The funds will help us continue to offer vital mental health services in West Sussex.
Millie’s skydive is inspired by her own struggle with mental health. After starting high school she suffered from panic attacks and began to self-harm. This prompted her mum Sally to seek help from local services. In the end, they decided to switch schools to give Millie a new start.
“She’s only been at this school for a few months,” said Sally. “But the help that they’ve given her has transformed her completely. She’s a lot happier. That’s why she wanted to do the jump, to give back and help others like her. The support Millie gets will change when she turns 16, so we realised West Sussex Mind would be her next port of call. That’s the place she’ll go when she feels low and down.”
The charity skydive will take place on September 16th (on Millie’s 16th birthday) at the GoSkydive centre in Salisbury near Stonehenge. The 15,000 ft jump involves almost a full minute of freefall, during which Millie will be travelling at around 125mph. Stepping out of a plane at such a height is no mean feat, especially for someone who has experienced fear and anxiety in other areas of their life.
“I’m actually really excited,” said Millie. “I thought I would be nervous but I’m not.”
“I couldn’t believe it when she told me what she was planning,” said Sally. “I just thought wow! To me it’s massive. I said to her that if she can do that, it proves that she can go on to do anything. Nothing can stop her. She’s looking at colleges now and she’s very scared of all that, but I said if you can jump out of that plane… Well, I think in those 60 seconds of freefall her head will be clear. After what she’s been through, it’s amazing for her to want to do this.”
Millie also had an encouraging message for others with similar experiences: “Always tell someone how you feel, don’t keep it to yourself as it will make you feel worse. I found that being truthful about how I was feeling got me the help I needed and still need. Never be ashamed to ask for help.”
To support Millie with her audacious fundraiser please visit her GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/86af354b