A sky dive is an unusual birthday celebration for someone with a fear of heights but that’s exactly what Shruti Saujani will be doing later this month. The 34-year-old from Leicester is facing her first birthday without her beloved dad and decided to do something very special in his memory instead.
“My dad was my superhero, my best friend, and the strongest person I have ever known” says Shruti. “He was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in 2019 and we lost him in May this year after a long, strong fight in the hospital for eight months where he constantly defied the odds and was often referred to as the ‘miracle man’!
“It was while dad was very poorly that we found out about the British Liver Trust, (now Liver UK), and discovered a lot of information on their website about his condition which we found super-helpful. Coming from a South Asian background, I was interested to see how much ethnically diverse individuals can be impacted by liver disease. I think that if we had access to this information sooner could it have helped dad, so now I want it to help others.
“I wanted to do something special to raise both funds and awareness, which is why I came up with a skydive. And because dad always made birthdays such fun and he won’t be here to celebrate with me this year, a skydive in his memory seemed a perfect way of making him a part of it.”
The sky dive itself, however, is something which takes Shruti, who works for the FA, well out of her comfort zone.
“I am so scared of heights, I won’t even go on a rollercoaster,” she admits. “So as the day gets nearer, I am getting nervous. But I’m channelling all this nervous energy into something truly purposeful. I’ve already smashed my fundraising target and dad would be so proud about that. I know that when I jump out the plane on that day, he’ll be with me and that’s all the strength I need.”
Dan Painter Public Fundraising Manager at Liver UK commented: “As a charity, we are leading the fight against liver disease and liver cancer. We reach over two million people each year; providing information and support to patients and families and providing vital advice to help people improve their liver health. But there is still so much to be done. Liver disease is the only major disease in the UK where death rates are rising, and we want to change that. We’re so grateful to Shruti for taking on such a challenge. What a wonderful tribute to her dad. We hope it proves to be an amazing experience and wish her all the best for a birthday to remember!”
Shruti’s sky dive will take place at Skydive Langar in Nottingham on August 23rd. You can support her here Shruti Saujani is fundraising for British Liver Trust
