Since taking the decision to skydive to raise money for his terminally-ill stepson, a father has been nicknamed 'Britain's best dad' - despite being so terrified of heights he gets 'dizzy' when he stands on a chair.
We completely back Barber Josh Collins, who is expected to leap bravely from a plane next month in a bid to give stepson Zach Holland a 'life-changing' all-terrain electric powerchair.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic and the backlog it has caused, Zach is unlikely to get wheelchair funding until he's completely bound to the bed, and so Josh, 28, wanted to take matters into his own hands and collect the money himself.
The parents of Zach say how he was just five years old when he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare genetic condition with a fatality risk of 100 per cent.
The disability means that the young LAD, now eight years old, fails to walk long distances unassisted and also has to be guided or carried by his parents in a manual wheelchair.
But after Mum Laura Holland, 28, gave birth to a baby girl earlier this year, she realized that she couldn't drive both kids at the same time leaving the family trapped in their house while Josh is working.
The brave dad joked that they would have had to treat the skydive as a 'kidnapping' to get through the feat of plummeting more than 10,000 feet in the air.
Josh, from Daventry, said: "I've always been scared of heights. It's weird because when I can see down and there's a possibility of me losing balance, I get a vertigo thing."
He went on to say: "I'm scared of the skydive, but at the end of the day it's just going to be a bad time for 20 minutes or so and then we're going to get Zach the chair he wants."
After Zach was diagnosed, Josh and Laura - who have been friends since they were teens - became a couple that led the mother to 'appreciate the good people' in her life.
Speaking about her partner, Laura, who works as a supervisor, said: "He's Britain's best dad. Josh will cringe entirely at that, but I agree with it. I think he's awesome.
"Zach views Josh to be his dad. Josh did Zach's haircuts years and years ago. He was my friend at the time and Zach has always been very chill about having his hair done by him.
"They got along really well and knew each other. Obviously then suddenly Mummy was dating his barber.
"Their bond is incredible. They will do everything together. Josh is really patient with Zach and will play with him for hours on his video games. They're best friends.
She added: "Our main mission is just to give Zach an incredible life. We go on lots of adventures. Now his mobility is declining it's more difficult, but once he's got his chair we can take him anywhere."
Image Credit: Kennedy News
Also, read: This Kid's Xbox Broke So He Asked His Dad For A New One, His Dad Made Him Earn It.
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