For her 77th birthday, Pat Leitner from Michigan and grandmother of 11, decided to skip the sandwiches and cake, and instead jumped out of a plane. As you do.
Pat got the chance to skydive after winning a charity fundraiser for a women and children homeless shelter, and was encouraged by her friend Sally Bales who had previously skydived for her 70th and 80th birthdays. Many friends and family members came to see, as Pat puts it, “this crazy lady jump out of a plane.”
But Pat isn’t “crazy” so much as she is a wonderfully free and strong spirit! “I raised three kids on my own and I didn’t have any family to call on,” she explained to Up North Live. “Back in the ’60s, I was the oddball. [There weren’t many] women who were divorced.”
When asked if she was nervous about the jump, Pat said, “It was exhilarating… I wasn’t nervous at all, It’s not something you can easily explain — floating down it’s peaceful and gorgeous… I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Pat is already planning an exhilarating adventure for her 78th birthday on May 6 next year, and refuses to let people tell her she’s “too old”:
“You tell me I can’t do something and I’ll find a way to do it,” Pat said. “I’m not afraid to try, I think that’s always been my motto.”
Charlevoix Granny Scratches Sky-Diving Off Bucket List | Up North Live
Featured photo credit: Charlevoix Granny Scratches Sky-Diving Off Bucket List | Up North Live via youtube.com
