Diagnosed at age 9, Eliza has always felt connected to JDRF, and skydiving for the cause was her way of giving back. Inspired by Eliza’s strength, Josh joined her in this thrilling challenge, making it a special shared experience as they fundraised together for a future cure. Here's what they had to say about the JUMP Challenge.
Let's hear from Eliza
What motivated you to take on this skydiving challenge?
JDRF has always been such a big part of my life since I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 9. The daily struggles and challenges of living with diabetes can often be one overwhelming. Seeing the work JDRF do to improve management, provide support and hopefully one day help fund research for a cure, motivates me to continue to fundraise for them where I can!
How did it feel like to skydive? What was your favourite part of the experience?
Skydiving was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever undertaken. I had so much trust in my fellow diver which made all the nerves disappear. Diving through the clouds and seeing the view of the ground open up below was a vision I’ll never forget!
Let's hear from Josh
What motivated you to take on this skydiving challenge?
Seeing Eliza live each day so positively with the daily tasks of T1D, and her passion for helping JDRF, I wanted to help where I could!
The JDRF jump was something that was certainly going to push me out of my comfort zone and raising money for a great cause was a no brainer.
How did it feel like to skydive? What was your favourite part about your experience?
As someone who is a little afraid of heights, I thought it would be extremely challenging. Seeing Eliza jump out of the plane before me was terrifying.
Once it was my turn, I was feeling more calm, and my diving instructor was a friend, so I had so much trust.
The best part was the free fall and that adrenaline rush that came with it. A truly unique experience that I’ll never forget.
What was it like taking on this challenge alongside your partner, knowing you were both supporting a cause so personal to you both?
The ultimate reason for doing the JUMP challenge was to help get one step closer to a cure for T1D for Eliza.
Seeing how passionate she is for the cause is infectious and made me want to jump on board. Doing it together was even more special and is something we will both remember forever.
Join others like Eliza and Josh in challenging themselves and making a difference! Join the JUMP Challenge as an individual, or create a team with some1 you love, so you can brave the skies together.
