Blackpool woman to take plunge at 15,000ft in memory of brother who died of Covid-19 aged 27

Jennifer Kidd’s brother Ben died on December 8 2021 after spending three weeks on a ventilator at the Macclesfield General Hospital. He was just 27 years old.

Jennifer, 25, who lives near Stanley Park, now hopes to raise at least £1,000 for the hospital’s intensive care unit by taking part in a sky-dive in his memory.

She said: "Ben was an adventurous person, and when I thought of what I could do to give back to the hospital in his memory, a skydive seemed like the best thing.

“Macclesfield Hospital was where Ben spent his final weeks, and they were amazing, absolutely amazing. When he was in ICU, we could only ring for updates, we couldn’t see him. Over the phone they talked us through everything, they reassured us he was getting the best care, they would put the phone up to his ear so we could talk to him – whether he could hear us or not.”

Ben, who was not vaccinated, tested positive for Covid-19 in November and was diagnosed with the Delta variant.

Jennifer said: “He was a fit and healthy lad. He had no underlying issues. We were just very unlucky.

"At the beginning, he started to improve on the ventilaor. Then he went downhill. It was devastating. It was just so sudden. We weren’t expecting it. We still haven’t come to terms with it. We still don’t feel like it’s real.

"He thought it was fit enough to fight it. He was being a typical man, saying he was fine, when really he wasn’t."

Tragically, Ben’s condition continued to deteriorate. He caught pneumonia, and died on December 8. His funeral took place on December 23 in Macclesfield, where he lived and worked as a renovator.

Jennifer, along with her friend Emma Acorah, 27, will take part in the skydive in memory of him in August.

She said: “We have noticed there’s not much support out there for families who are going through what we’re going through, so it would be nice if we could all come together. It’s in memory of Ben, but if people can relate to his story, we can all support each other.

"Ben was loving, selfless, hard working. He had a massive heart and would do anything for anyone.

"There’s really no words to describe the pain of losing him, especially with him being so young and it being so sudden. We have not had much closure. It upsets me that people are becoming quite complacent about Covid-19. You don’t realise how devastating the virus is until it hits close to home. People think it won’t happen to them – until it does.”

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