Leeds woman with breast cancer to leap out of a plane at 18,000 feet to raise money for St James' Hospital

Sally Gutteridge, from Horsforth, was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in 2021. 

A physiotherapy student at the University of Bradford, Sally has braved two surgeries, including one mastectomy, and numerous rounds of chemotherapy.

And now, the 49-year-old is looking to give back to the team of healthcare workers that supported her through this difficult time. 

Looking back at the past few years, Sally said: “When you’re in that treatment phase, you don’t feel like you are ever going to get better. At that point, you just deal with what’s in front of you. 

“When you get through that process and come out the other side, you start thinking, ‘I need to give back’. And I think when you face something like cancer, you just don't have any fear anymore.”

In August, Sally will be completing the tandem parachute jump over the famous Kennedy Space Centre, USA with her husband, Jon, to raise money for the breast cancer ward at St James' Hospital. 

The diagnosis came as a “shock” and Sally was advised to get a mastectomy as soon as possible.

Sally said: “I knew something wasn’t right. And because of the history in my family, the doctors were a bit cautious. It wasn’t my decision to get a mastectomy, it was my surgeon’s. 

“It wasn’t a big process - it was a matter of ‘this needs to happen, and this needs to happen now’. And I just went with it, because it was the right thing to do.”

Mere months later, Sally was told she would benefit greatly from chemotherapy. From January to April 2022, she attended multiple rounds of treatment that took a toll on her. 

“The first round, I was quite nervous but I knew I had to face it,” she said. 

“I ended up making a lot of friends on the ward, other people having treatment. We supported each other. But it was really tough, it was brutal.” 

And Sally said she can’t thank the staff at St James’ Hospital enough for the “exceptional” care they delivered to her during this time. 

She added: “The NHS and St James’ are brilliant, they really looked after me. They gave me so much attention and care - and it wasn’t just the chemotherapy, we had to go in a few other times, and they were there for me.” 

Sally has taken part in many Race for Life fundraisers for Cancer Research UK in the past but wanted to “up the ante” this time to get as many people involved as possible. 

Helping her and her husband achieve their goal of £2,000, of which £1,2 £1,248 has already been raised, is Leeds Rhinos. 

The team showed their support by donating a signed shirt, which the couple, also season-ticket holders, will raffle off in May. 

Many other people have gotten involved including family, friends and the University of Bradford, where Sally will be graduating from just a month prior to her challenge.

Find out more information about breast cancer symptoms and treatment via the NHS website and find out more information about Sally and Jon’s challenge via the JustGiving page.