By Leicester Mercury | Posted 2 May, 2012
Kirsty Smith's father Ken passed away on December 27 last year, following a 16-month battle against cancer.
The 47-year-old spent the last weeks of his life being cared for at LOROS and Kirsty said there was nothing staff and volunteers would not do to help him.
She has now taken it upon herself to complete a skydive and is hoping to raise about £1,000 for the Groby Road hospice.
Kirsty, 23, of Whitwick, north west Leicestershire, said: "LOROS was brilliant. I didn't know anything about LOROS before, as I had no experience of what they do.
"Everything they did was fantastic. They supported my dad but they also supported the family as well.
"He used to go and sit near the nurses' station and they'd always have time to talk to him.
"They made him as comfortable as they possibly could, nothing was too much trouble.
"They really look after you. It really has made a big impact on me."
Ken felt so well while he was at LOROS he was able to return home to spend Christmas and Boxing Day with his family.
"Christmas Day was fun and he was just normal, it was like nothing was wrong," said Kirsty.
"I've got a five year old sister so he got to see her opening her presents. It was so nice to have him home."
Kirsty said she started thinking about doing some fundraising for LOROS while her father was still alive.
"I looked at the newsletters that they have there and saw all the different ways of raising money," she said.
"I decided in February that I wanted to do a skydive, although it had never even crossed my mind to do one before.
"I'm quite nervous, I think it's starting to sink in now.
"I think my dad would have said I was mad.
"I wanted to raise £500 and I've got £600 already, so I'm aiming for £1,000 now.
"It's just a way of saying thank you. They rely on fundraising and they need support to keep going.
"It's for a good cause and hopefully I'll enjoy it."
To sponsor Kirsty, text KSSD64 with your amount to 70070 – eg KSSD64 £5 to 70070.
Alternatively, visit: www.justgiving.com/ kirstysmithskydive
