Brave Dungannon father Dessie Hughes takes 10,000ft leap for family afflicted by muscular dystrophy

Dessie Hughes, who hopes to raise £1000 for Muscular Dystrophy UK, said he feels very proud to be able to perform the daring skydive for his wife, Anne, and daughter, Carla.

On February 25, Dessie will travel to Skydive Wildgeese near Coleraine where he will take on the exhilarating challenge with a group of fellow charity fundraisers.

“It’s an everyday struggle for my wife and daughter to do the simple things in life and I’m honoured to be fit enough to do this for them”, he said.

“By raising some money by jumping out of a plane I am doing my bit to help MDUK get that bit closer to finding a cure.

“Muscular Dystrophy is a debilitating condition, but there is a lot of research being done to try to find treatment or even a cure. So many people are affected in different ways, and proper treatment would vastly improve their quality of life.”

Dessie, who’s from Wellbrook Avenue, said that he has no nerves, at least at the moment.

“No training is needed for the skydive. You just have to get your GP to say you’re okay to do the sky jump, and on the morning there’s an induction.

“I’m looking forward to the experience of a lifetime, and I’m grateful to have the support of my family and friends, who I know will be wishing me well and helping with fundraising.

“The money will go to a very good charity, and I’ll be delighted if it helps improve the lives of those affected by the condition.”

Muscular Dystrophy UK is the charity for 70,000 people living with muscle-wasting conditions.

The charity says it is making a difference today, providing vital information and support to help people live as independently as possible, and is also making a difference for tomorrow, accelerating progress in research.