Jyneen Haughie, 37, from Barnsley, is coordinating a charity skydive of 19 people, to raise money for the epilepsy society and to commemorate her sister who died suddenly aged 22.
Clareese Haughie had suffered from epilepsy from a young age – among other undiagnosed conditions – but had been signed off by her doctor as perfectly healthy just a few weeks before she passed away.
Her cause of death is still unknown, but Jyneen said that, though epilepsy wasn’t what caused her to pass away it was a big part of who she was and so it was only right to honour her in this way.
The skydive will take place on the day of Clareese’s first “heavenly birthday” in May to celebrate her memory.
Jyneen said: “Clareese was an adrenaline junkie, we’re doing it for her because she would’ve loved it.”
The family took part in a charity skydive last year, to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society after their grandmother was diagnosed.
The pre-booked date fell just two days after Clareese’s funeral, but Jyneen insisted that it was important to go through with it: “Up until my sister passed, we were so nervous, but on the day it was so calm.
“We’d just been through the worst thing that had ever happened to us, whatever we did was nothing in comparison to carrying her coffin two days before.”
This time they are raising the stakes by jumping from even higher, a soaring 15,000 ft in the air.
The 19 skydivers are made up of family members and close friends who spent lots of time with Clareese over the years.
This fundraiser is happening against the background of epilepsy awareness month, which seeks to raise awareness for cases such as Clareese’s.
The family are still hoping for answers about the cause of Clareese’s death, as her condition was an undiagnosed mystery.
Because of this and to help others they chose to donate Clareese’s brain to science.
Jyneen said: “We will do anything to make sure no other family has to go through what we did.”
When asked about anything she would like to say to other families with a disabled loved one, she said: “Keep doing what you’re doing, because it is making a huge difference to these kids”.
As the owner of The Corner Pin pub in Barnsley, Jyneen has organised many fundraising events alongside the skydive, ranging from Sheffield to Preston.
She hopes this will help reach their target of £5,000, and make a difference for other families through Clareese’s memory.
If you are interested in donating to Clareese’s memorial page for the epilepsy society, please follow this link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jyneen-haughie-1698159235213?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fjyneen-haughie-1698159235213&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share
