7.16.2008

the 71-year-old blind skydiver

There are certain things I assume I will be unable to do when I reach my 70s. It kind of goes without saying that skydiving will be one of them. But maybe not. On Sunday, in Oregon, 71-year-old Kazuko Renes jumped out of an airplane. Not only is she 71, she's blind! She was out to prove that she can do anything. I think she proved it: Blind skydiver, 71, inspires people. That's freakin' awesome.

Renes began to lose her sight in her twenties and says she let her blindness discourage her. But a few years ago, after a seminar with the Oregon Comission for the Blind, her outlook changed, and she decided to take life head on. She wasn't going to let a silly little thing like age or handicap get in the way of completing a lifelong dream of skydiving. See news video of her jump here.

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