Terminally ill Jewish great-grandma, 84, skydives from 13,000ft for charity
A terminally ill great-grandmother dubbed ‘Ripcord Rosa’ has leapt 13,000ft from a plane in a daring feat to raise funds for charity, writes Talia Samuelson.
Rosa Kingston, 84, undertook the skydive at Hinton Sky Diving Centre in Northamptonshire last week as part of a charity appeal for the Royal Marsden cancer charity, whose medical staff she credits with prolonging her life by two years.
Having recently been dealt an almighty blow – finding out she had just months to live – Rosa, who has ovarian cancer, was spurred into action. “I took this one last leap because I can,” she said. She added that it represented a gesture of gratitude to her carers and a pledge to assist fellow sufferers.
Rosa says she is determined to help other women defeat the disease that will claim her life, citing additional scientific research as a crucial. Despite ovarian cancer being the second most common gynecological cancer, survival rate remains low, with fewer than 43 percent surviving five years.
The Royal Marsden’s care has allowed Rosa to witness several family milestones, including the marriage of her grandson and the birth of a great-granddaughter. The extra time had “been a wonderful gift,” said Rosa.
So far Rosa has raised £7,500 of her £10,000 target.
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