Stepmum takes on a 15,000ft jump in memory of stepdaughter
Alex completed a skydive to raise money for St Andrew’s Hospice, who cared for Myla after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour in August 2025. She sadly passed away just months later, aged only 10 years old.
Chantelle, Myla’s mum, described how they first heard of the hospice: “It was the hospice that actually did some digging and found Myla and decided to reach out to us. We always knew that the hospice was here, but you never think of a child on hospice ever.”
Alongside the care Myla received, her family used many of the services the hospice offered, including therapy, support for her brother Charlie, and accessed the Butterfly Suite, a specially equipped room that allows the family to spend up to a week with their child after their death. This allows them to “just have that extra bit of time, which you want every time you can get.”
Ahead of her jump, Alex had fundraised over £800 through her JustGiving page for the hospice, to help families have access the same support and services that Myla and her family used while under its care.
Alex said: “I did a skydive because I didn't want to run. So that was the real reason. These were all doing half marathons, and I couldn't think of anything worse. And Myla was very much a daredevil person, she was always dragging us on rides, so that for me, was more of the daredevil thing to do.”
“Before the skydive, I was just a bit giddy. Like I was nervous, but it is safe, otherwise they wouldn’t let you do it. We were sat on the edge and I'm dangling off by this point, but they don't give you a second to think about it. Then we were off. That was it. But that's good because I feel like otherwise, I would be like, no, no, no.”
“Free falling was very interesting. I was a bit like, ‘oh, God, what's happening?’ When the parachute went up, I felt a lot better. It was really great and I'd recommend it because it's definitely an experience.”
She added “Myla would have loved it. And then when we got there as well, I was told mine was the purple parachute, which was Myla’s favourite colour, so that just made it perfect.”
Zak, Myla’s dad and Alex’s partner, was there on the day of the jump, alongside many other family members. He described the day as ‘emotional’, adding: “You knew that day was purely for Myla and that Alex did it for Myla and it was a really nice moment.”
Since the passing of Myla, Chantelle and Myla’s family have continued to share Myla’s legacy by creating ‘Together for Myla.’ A Facebook page dedicated to raising awareness and sharing moments from Myla’s life.
If you would like to get involved with our charity skydives and help raise essential funds for the hospice, please find more information here.