4:24pm Sunday 21st March 2010
By Alex Lewis
A YOUNG Harpenden man is preparing to dive out of an aeroplane at 15,000 feet in memory of the beloved mother he lost last year.
James Peacock, 22, of Chesterton Avenue, is steeling himself for a skydive on July 18, a year after the death of his mother Dee at 55 from cancer.
He said: "I don't like heights and I don't like the thought of falling, so it should be interesting.
"This is something I have always wanted to do, but I haven't had the guts to actually do it."
Along with three friends who knew his mother well, he will raise sponsorship for the Isabel Hospice in Welwyn Garden City where Dee spent her last two weeks.
He was on holiday in Cyprus with his girlfriend when his mother's cancer, which she had been fighting for four years, took a sharp turn for the worse.
After a week in the QEII Hospital she was transferred to the nearby Isabel Hospice.
Mr Peacock, who works for John Lewis in Welwyn Garden City, said: "The hospice was fantastic.
"It was much better than the QEII - they are not really set up for terminally ill people.
"The room was like a hotel room, with all the luxuries she would have had at home.
"It was better for us as well, and all her friends and family who were coming and going.
"Mum meant everything to me.
"She was someone I could always turn to for help and support.
"She did everything around the house - all the cooking and cleaning.
"She was always there if I needed help financially as well."
Donations can be made at www.justgiving/jamesopeacock.
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