Woman with cerebral palsy discovers passion for skydiving
Although her electric wheelchair is limited to five speeds, Alexis Baird races it like there’s six.
“I’m a big time adrenaline junkie,” she smiles.
Yet, Alexis says that growing up with cerebral palsy and living with chronic pain can feel like being stuck in neutral.
“I’d see kids running around, playing on the merry-go-rounds,” Alexis recalls. “I was just thinking in my head, ‘Oh I wish I could that.’”
When she asked to go on amusement park rides, she was told “no.” Same thing with bungee-jumping — “no.” So when the 27-year-old happened to notice someone skydiving one day, Alexis had no doubt what the answer would be.
“You just kind of give up because you don’t think that there is ever anything possible,” Alexis says.
But then the staff at Skydive Vancouver Island said “yes.”
“I literally looked at the owner and went, ‘Could you say that again?’” Alexis recalls her surprise. “And she said, ‘Yes.’”
And Alexis finally felt hope.
“We’re making my dream come true,” Alexis beamed, before boarding the plane.
As it soared 11,000 feet above the ground, Alexis says she felt no regret, no fear, and then there was no turning back.
Supported by a professional skydiver, Alexis erupted out of the plane with a smile.
After decades of being denied, after a lifetime of feeling confined, for the first time in her life, Alexis felt free.
“It’s the feeling of taking chains off of you,” she says of being unstrapped from her wheelchair and flying through the sky. “You realize you can do it, and feels out of this world.”
And after she landed safely, her joy couldn’t be contained.
“Not only did I find something I can do,” Alexis smiles, “I found something that I love.”
That love grew during her second dive, and is destined to endure now that Alexis has committed to do it every year for the rest of her life.
“Who knew jumping out of a plane was my ticket to freedom,” Alexis says.
Now Alexis says she has no doubt that no matter your situation, no matter your transportation, you should never give up on finding your inspiration.
“Don’t ever,” Alex says emphatically. “Don’t ever let anything stop you.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.