Lilian Pegg is scared of heights - and jumping out of a plane is something she thought she'd 'never' do.
But there's one cause important enough for the Blyth mum to put her fears aside and take a terrifying leap: the quest for treatments for the disease which has changed her son's life.
Lilian's 18-year-old son George lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive disease which causes worsening weakness of the muscles, robbing him of the ability to walk just before his 16th birthday. Over the last seven years, George and his family have raised well over £200,000 for charity Muscular Dystrophy UK, which funds research into better care and treatment for those with the condition.
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George, who is now a student of games design and development, also became an advocate for himself and others with his condition, taking a campaign for vital drug funding to Parliament.
His mum, 44, has taken part in plenty of the family's fundraising drives, but this year she decided she wanted to do something extra-special. She signed up for a skydive, set to take place in Peterlee on May 7 this year, joining her husband George who'll be jumping for the fourth time.
Lilian said: "A lot of people have done it for George's journey and I've always gone along, most of them are absolutely buzzing afterwards. I've always sort of wanted to do it but at the same time I was terrified and I said it was the one thing I just wouldn't do.
"I never used to be scared of heights when I was younger, but now I'm no good with them at all - I got up on a bench to do some painting the other day I couldn't get back down! I wouldn't do something like this for anybody else, but I'll do it for George. He couldn't get over it when I said I was going to do it."
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For the Pegg family, raising cash for research has become an important way to show support for George, as well as to say thank you to the charity which is 'always on hand for help, support and advice'.
The proud mum said: "George is amazing, he just gets on with things. I think as a family we cope with George's condition because he copes so well: he goes to college, he sees his friends, he just gets on.
"The worst thing with muscular dystrophy is that it's a progressive condition: while all his friends are getting more independent things are getting harder for him, but he always just copes with it.
"The fundraising has been amazing really, it just shows the level of support we've got from the community and our family and friends. With the condition George has got having no cure, it really gives us something we can focus on."
Susanne Driffield, regional development manager for North of England and East Midlands at Muscular Dystrophy UK, added: “Lilian is so brave to sign up for a sky dive, it is the one thing she has always said she would never do. It is such a pleasure to support the Pegg family with their fantastic fundraising and we’re so thankful to them. The funds raised help us to fund vital research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy.”
Lilian is collection donations at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/george-pegg6
