Today, on World Cancer Day, we’re honoured to share words from FSDP Trustee Rachel Greenwood, remembering her late partner Richard — an FSDP scholar whose courage, humour and love of adventure continue to inspire us.
“I used to panic if my partner Richard phoned me at work. It nearly always meant difficult news from his oncology appointments on the days I couldn’t be there with him. But one call couldn’t wait for later – he had just flown solo from Goodwood Aerodrome and was bursting with excitement and pride.”
After an above‑knee amputation to treat a rare soft‑tissue sarcoma, many of the activities Richard once loved felt out of reach. Pain, fatigue and uncertainty became part of daily life.
A Flying Scholarship helped him reclaim something precious: the best version of himself. It brough back adventure, confidence and joy – memories powerful enough to carry him through the hardest months, when his cancer later spread to his liver and lungs.
Rachel reflects:
“Today, as I look back on his photos and pilot logbook, I feel huge gratitude to FSDP. Above the clouds the sun is always shining – and for all those flying hours, he was totally free.
Free from pain
Free from thoughts of cancer, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery
Free from feeling defined by diagnosis or disability
Instead, he could be remembered for his fun, his adventure and his love.”
On World Cancer Day, we honour Richard, and all those whose lives are touched by cancer. We honour the families who walk beside them. And we reaffirm our belief that possibility, purpose and joy can exist even in the most difficult chapters of life.
Richard’s legacy lives on in every scholar who takes to the skies with us.
#WorldCancerDay #FSDP #FlyingScholarship #LifeAfterCancer #AviationForAll #DisabilityAndAviation
