Teacher’s sky dive for Cri du Chat medical charity

Vicki McDonald-Noble (29) is to do a daredevil skydive to help children like her four-year-old son Nathaniel who has the little-known condition Cri du Chat.

The one-in-50,000 chance genetic defect is caused by a missing fifth chromosome, which can lead to serious physical, mental and development problems in affected children.

Vicki, a teaching assistant at Burnley’s Cherryfold Primary School, wanted to do the skydive to raise money for the Cri du Chat Syndrome Support Group charity which has helped her and her partner Heath get to grips with Nathaniel’s condition.

“He is such a cheeky monkey,” she said. “He is so cuddly.” But she explained the condition has affected little Nathaniel in many ways.

“He has limited speech. He uses makaton signs and basic sign language. He doesn’t walk properly and he has limited understanding.”

Nathaniel was diagnosed with Cri du Chat when he was just five months old.

Vicki said: “It is very rare. It is only a one in 50,000 chance of having a missing fifth chromosome. It is something people have never heard of.

“It is like your whole world drops out. You never expect anything like that when you’re having a baby. You expect them to be happy and bouncing.

“Then you find out your son has a chromosome missing. Nothing prepares you for it. But I would not change a thing – he is absolutely brilliant.”

Vicki, of John Street, Barrowford, will now do the skydive alongside her sister Jenni Noble (26) and her friend Rachel Holt (26) on August 26th.

“I’m really excited and looking forward to it but I am scared too. I don’t like heights. But I am doing it for a good cause to raise money and awareness of Cri du Chat.

“It is something close to my heart because my family are involved in it every single day.

“The charity supports families that are going through Cri du Chat whether young or old and they research the syndrome.”

You can donate money by visiting www.justgiving.com/thebigcdcskydive2012, and Rachel’s just giving page is www.justgiving.com/Rachel-Holt2