A brave young woman is taking on a terrifying skydive in tribute to her mum who tragically died from brain cancer.
Robyn Towns was still in secondary school when her mum Dorothy was given the shock diagnosis.
The 22-year-old from Arbroath was in the last years of her studies in 2017 when her mum fell ill and their family's life changed forever.
Describing the day she found out, she said: “The day Mum was diagnosed is a day I will never forget as it changed my family life forever.
“Mum had absolutely no symptoms whatsoever. I left for school one morning and she was absolutely fine – by lunchtime everything had dramatically changed.
“We were in absolute disbelief when Mum was diagnosed just hours after her first symptom.
“Getting my head around what we had been told when Mum hadn’t even been unwell at all was really difficult.”
And she added: “We were overwhelmed with upset, shock and anger about why this happened to my family.
“We all never knew what the next day would bring – Mum kept outdoing all the time scales we were given over and over again.
“We are forever grateful for that time. Some days, Mum would be so bright which was such a joy and this constant state of uncertainty just became our new way of life.”
Dorothy tragically passed away in December last year after she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumour in August 2017.
This is one of the most aggressive types of brain tumour and typically comes with a short prognosis of just 12-18 months on average.
Dorothy’s tumour had significantly progressed by the time it was diagnosed and the family were told that they may only have a couple of weeks left together.
Amazingly, Dorothy lived for another four years and four months with her husband Derek, Robyn and their much-loved dog, Jet.
During that time, Robyn cared for her mum as she contended with the impact of the tumour right from day one.
This was alongside Robyn’s commitments during her final year at secondary school and her part-time job at a soft play centre.
Robyn took on various household responsibilities including cooking meals and cleaning the family home.
Derek helped when he could around his own full-time work in the knowledge that he would have to reduce his hours in the future when his wife’s needs increased.
Robyn said: “I was always there for my mum – but that really increased as we got nearer to the end of Mum’s life and she needed even more help.
“I would shower and dress her every day as well as ensure all of her basic needs were taken care of.
“Mum’s friends were absolute lifesavers and become a huge part of our lives and have remained that way – we’re so grateful to them for all they have done for us.”
Robyn is preparing to do the skydive to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity in July.
She set out to raise £1,000 but she smashed that target within 48 hours of launching the fundraiser online with more than £3,000 already generously donated.
Robyn said: “I remember Mum often reading the real-life stories shared on The Brain Tumour Charity’s social media channels which is why I have been keen to share my own when the time was right as I know how helpful they were for Mum.
"I hope my story will help others in a similar way."
And she added: “We have also been blown away by the huge levels of support we have received for the skydive and we’re so incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped us along the way so far.
“This is just one way in which we can celebrate Mum’s life – I never knew she had so much fight in her but she proved everyone around her wrong.
“Her smiley, cheeky and bubbly personality stayed with her along the way – she was and always will be my hero.”
- You can support Robyn’s fundraising here.
- Find out more about The Brain Tumour Charity here.
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