Skydiving for Brett

UPDATE 19/4/25:

It is with an extremely heavy heart that I have to write this today. On the 3rd of March, only an hour after I first shared this GoFundMe page, Brett was rushed to Singleton Hospital by his wife Amanda. Brett had lost all feeling from the waist down, was unable to walk and was in agony. He had an infection in his spine which was gradually spreading further and further down his back. They told us it would take surgery and then rehabilitation, but that he would be home after about 2 months. On the evening of the 17th of April, surrounded by numerous members of family and friends, Brett lost his battle to cancer. Brett never made it home. The past couple of days have been incredibly difficult for everybody that knew Brett. But nobody has been more impacted by Brett’s passing than Amanda, Lowri & Emily. As I have mentioned previously, Brett did not have life insurance and of course had not been working since his cancer diagnosis. All donations that we have collected so far will now go towards the funeral. I am devastated that Brett will not be there to see me throw myself out of a plane for him, but regardless, I will still be completing the skydive; with more reason, meaning and motivation than ever before. I’d like to take this opportunity to again thank everybody who has already donated, but also remind everyone that the GoFundMe page is still live and we will be incredibly grateful for any future donations. I will continue to update you all with any further news regarding Brett’s funeral, as well as the skydive.

UPDATE 26/3/25:

It is with great difficulty that I have to update this post today.

Brett had some devastating news last week that his cancer has progressed very quickly over the last few weeks. Due to this, we do not have time to get Brett out to Frankfurt. 

We are absolutely heartbroken as a family. 

I am still going to do my skydive and try to raise as much money as possible so Brett does not have to worry financially over these next few months. Brett, Amanda and the family would like to thank you all for your support this last year. I will keep you updated on the skydive and will hopefully be doing it sooner rather than later.

Hi. My name is Jack and I’m currently living in South Wales. As most people will know, back in May 2023, my father-in-law - Brett Collier - was diagnosed with rectal colon cancer. Following the diagnosis, Brett underwent months of extensive courses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Brett was given no choice but to stop working whilst undergoing the treatment and he does not have life insurance, meaning that it has been a huge struggle as a family just to get by, with Brett having been the main earner in the home.

At the beginning of 2024, Brett went for further scans to check up on the progress of the cancer, and whether or not it was shrinking.

Following this, we were given the devastating news that Brett’s cancer had spread to his lungs and both sides of his liver. We were then informed by doctors that the cancer had now in fact become terminal, giving Brett a life expectancy of 5 years with treatment, and just 1 year without. As of yesterday, we were also told that the cancer has spread to 3 places on Brett’s spinal cord, and requires emergency surgery to remove it. 

This has been heartbreaking news for the whole family, with Brett now having to undertake further aggressive treatments, and leading to further struggles in regard to bills and everyday expenses.

I have chosen to do a charity skydive in Swansea this summer, in attempts to raise as much money as possible for the family and for Brett, so that they have one less thing to worry about this year.

The skydive will consist of a jump from 15,000ft - the highest altitude in the UK. There will then be 60 seconds of free fall, followed by a 5 minute parachute ride.

In the summer of 2024, Brett’s nephew completed the Newport marathon and managed to raise a lot of money to help Brett and the family. Brett used this money to buy alternative medications that are meant to help cancer patients. Unfortunately, after trying these for a year, they are not working and the cancer is continuing to grow and spread rapidly, now giving Brett a current life expectancy of around 2 years.

The family have carried out some extensive research, and have come across ‘Frankfurt University Hospital’, which offers specific, extensive treatment for the types of cancer that Brett has, and are hoping to raise enough money to be able to take Brett over to Germany to receive this treatment.

Any donations, no matter how big or small, will be hugely appreciated by myself and the Collier family.

Thank you for taking the time to read Brett’s story, and I look forward to jumping out of a plane at 15,000ft. :)