A Lanarkshire man’s head will be in the clouds as he takes on an adrenaline-inducing challenge to thank a charity organisation for their support.
Aiden Rowan, 22, was born with cystic fibrosis and has decided to raise money by jumping from a plane to raise money for The Butterfly Trust, despite never having stepped foot on one before.
The East Kilbride man’s two older siblings Connor, 25, and Stephanie, 24, were also born with the condition.
The former Calderside Academy pupil, who lives in Lancaster Crescent in Nerston, has never flown before but will jump from a plane almost two miles up from the ground in October.
His target was initially £1000 but he’s already surpassed that and still has months before the dive.
Aiden, who works as a warehouse operative in East Kilbride, said: “I’ve never been on a plane before, even on holiday. So the first time I’m ever going to be on a plane I’m going to be jumping out of it. We’ve never been on holiday abroad as it costs a lot more money to take out insurance and stuff like that.
"I’m fine with heights but I’ll probably not feel the fear until I wake up that morning. Right now, it seems alright.
"Having cystic fibrosis has never held me back from doing anything I wanted to do. But there are loads of people who have it that struggle on a daily basis, even to get out their beds.
"If I go out and play football with pals and things like that I get out of breath really, really quick but sometimes that helps me to cough up the mucus. I can’t get it up at all without exercise.”
The Butterfly Trust provides practical help and advocacy to people with cystic fibrosis in areas including housing, finance, education, employment and independent living. They also offer emotional support and counselling.
Aiden’s mum Susan added: “He’s talked about doing this since he was in his late teens as something he wanted to do. And he’s bit the bullet this year and said, 'let’s go for it'.
“The Butterfly Trust help people specifically in Scotland, and his two siblings also have cystic fibrosis. So he just wanted to give a little back for the support they’ve afforded him, his brother and his sister.
“He’s never done anything like this before, apart from going to the skatepark and doing back flips on his scooter when he was a wee one.
“His sister wished him all the best and said, ‘Good luck but it’s definitely not for me’. Connor’s right behind him too but it’s not something he would do either. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted.”
For more information on The Butterfly Trust charity visit: www.butterflytrust.org.uk
Aiden’s 10,000ft skydive will take place at Skydive St Andrews, Fife Airport near Glenrothes. It is scheduled for October 1, you can donate to his fundraiser at: justgiving.com/page/aiden-rowan-1687248399853
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