A 19-year-old medical student who is “terrified” of heights will brave a charity skydive in memory of her father, who ran a village shop until his death at the age of 54.
Hardwick resident Tara Bhachu is to do a charity skydive in memory of her father, Tejinder Bhachu, who ran the Nisa shop in the village and who passed away in July 2021.
Described as a “pillar of the community”, Tejinder Bhachu died from SUDEP – sudden unexpected death in epileptic people – in July 2021.
His daughter, Tara, will take on the skydive in aid of the Epilepsy Society – and has already raised £2,554 via JustGiving.
Tara, a University of East Anglia student, wants to “raise awareness” for the charity and for Purple Day, held on 26 March each year to improve our understanding of epilepsy.
“The skydive was something I had been thinking about for a while,” she explains, “because I really wanted to do something for him and and in his memory, and also to continue to raise awareness. Not a lot is known about SUDEP.
“It’s written down when the cause of death is kind of unknown. Usually it happens unwitnessed but nothing is found in the post-mortem exam – but the known fact is that the person had epilepsy and it does mean usually they die quite young. My dad was only 54 when he passed away.
“I just really want to be able to raise awareness, because so many people don’t know that that’s something that can happen with people who have epilepsy.
“Another thing that’s really important to me is that around a third of people who have epilepsy are unable to have their seizures managed with typical treatment, so I want to fundraise towards the research that’s going on, to try and find either more drugs or more solutions to that problem.”
Despite admitting she is “terrified” of heights, Tara is planning to do the tandem skydive in May 2025, as her father’s birthday was in May.
“I’m not particularly good with heights but it’s something I want to do, and I think I’m going to get a video done as well,” she says. “I have a feeling the first few minutes will be me screaming!”
Tara says she’s “so grateful” to everyone who’s donated to her JustGiving page and notes that her father “knew just about everyone in the village”.
Tara’s parents moved to Hardwick and took over the shop in June 1989.
During Covid, they were kept busy “doing their best to help everyone and ensure everyone got what they needed,” Tara recalls.
The Nisa store is now run by Tara’s mother.
Visit Tara’s JustGiving page at bit.ly/3Juvaf1.
