A DAREDEVIL charity worker plunged 10,000 ft to raise money for – and awareness of – mouth cancer.
Rugby resident and mum of two Louise Chidlow, a Dental Advisor at British Dental Health Foundation, performed her fundraising skydive because she felt it was important to go to extremes to highlight the issue.
Louise has seen cases of mouth cancer increase by 50 per cent since she first started working for the charity ten years ago, so was keen to volunteer when the opportunity arose to perform a tandem skydive at Brackley Parachute Centre in Oxford.
Self-confessed adrenaline junkie Louise, who has already ticked bungee jumping off her ‘bucket list’, said: “I felt no fear when it came to jumping out of a plane but nothing could prepare me for the overwhelming experience.
“The main thing I will remember will be the noise when in freefall where we reached speeds of up to 120mph. It was deafening and I could hardly catch my breath, but when the parachute opened everything was so peaceful. It was a truly amazing experience.
“Being on the frontline of dental health, I know the issues being faced on a daily basis by the public so saw this opportunity as a unique chance to really drive home the mouth cancer action message and raise awareness of the risks and symptoms.”
It is estimated that over the next decade around 60,000 people in the UK will be diagnosed with mouth cancer and without early detection an half of those will not survive.
Mouth cancer can appear as a painless mouth ulcer that does not heal normally, red or white patches in the mouth or lumps and swellings in the mouth. It is important to visit your dentist if these areas do not heal within three weeks.
Louise operates as part of the Dental Helpline which has answered more than 350,000 enquiries since its formation some 15 years ago.
The Dental Helpline is open between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, on 01788 539780.
Louise has so far well exceeded her target of £400 and is planning to continue her daredevil antics, with wing walking on the horizon.
