Trinity came to me and John one day (she had already been diagnosed during this time) and said she wanted to jump out of an airplane. We were both totally shocked and thought for sure that she had no understanding of what jumping out of an airplane entailed.
John explained to her that it was called skydiving, and told her she would be taken 10,000 feet up in the air and would free fall to the ground. She was all for it.
How could we say no to our dying child’s wish? John and I had never even thought about skydiving…it just seemed terrifying, but we had to be strong for our little girl, and we had to find a place that would let a 7 year old jump! This was a huge challenge. I made phone calls day after day for about a week, calling over 100 places. I couldn’t even find anyone that would let me finish my story. It was so frustrating! We had to make this happen; we just had to.
I finally found a place in New Zealand, which would be an enormous expense, but what other choice did we have? John and I talked, and I decided to give the last place on my list a call. Jackpot!
It was The Oklahoma Skydiving Center in Cushing, Oklahoma. They were amazing!! They not only listened, but welcomed us with open arms!
I cried for hours, because I had finally found someone willing to listen–someone with a heart, someone with understanding, someone who had children of their own. We booked a date and made a trip the next weekend for the big jump! Trinity was so excited.
The First Jump
Once we got there we took a class on jumping, and they explained how everything worked. She was still ready to go. By the time they got Trinity in her gear, she could barely contain herself. John and I rode up in an old rickety plane with her, it was windy and loud…but she wasn’t backing down. She smiled for the camera and gave us the thumbs up. I leaned over and kissed her sweet face just as the plane door popped open…and before we knew it, she was flying! My heart skipped a beat: my only child just jumped out of an airplane at the age of 7. Wow!!
Afterward we rushed to the ground so we could see her land. She came in with a huge smile on her face and yelled “He let me fly it!” Once her little feet hit the ground, the first words she said were, “When can we do it again?”
The Second Jump
In the next couple of weeks we went back to Oklahoma for a second jump. By this time Trinity was in a wheelchair but still more than excited to jump again. This time we had a videographer jump with her. We got some amazing photos. On this particular day it was cloudy, so much so that we waited about 5 hours to jump. When Trinity went up in the plane this time, she said, “All I want to do is touch a cloud.”
And guess what…she did!! She was the happiest child on earth that day! How many people can say they’ve touched a cloud?
The Third Jump
After this jump, life was becoming more and more difficult, but she still wanted to jump once more. It was a hard decision, but John and I felt that it was to dangerous given her condition at that point. Then shortly after that she passed away.
On her 8th birthday, I, John, and several family and friends gathered in Oklahoma for a memorial jump. We had cake and ice cream, we had a balloon release, and we were even greeted by a little tiny butterfly who stayed close by all day (this was Trinity!).
John and I made the hardest jump of our lives…we took our daughter skydiving one last time by spreading her ashes as we jumped. It was beautiful and heart wrenching all at the same time.
Everyone should live today as if it were their last! Life is so precious!
