Member Story - Andrea Fuller

This photo was taken on Saturday, Aug. 2, in Denton, Texas, U.S.A. at 13,500 feet over a small airport facility that was called “Sky Dive Texas.”

“My son and I do fun things together,” says Life Rafter Andrea Fuller, “like celebrate Christmas in Italy, Acapulco, Mexico City and Mazatlan — this year is Belize. We scuba dive, snorkel with the manatees, and this was on our list of things we wanted to do some day.”

By diving in tandem, Andrea had no control over anything, “which was fine with me,” she says. For that matter, Andrea told her instructor that her eyes would be closed from the time the door was opened until he maneuvered her out of the plane.

“The air rushed past us at 127 miles per hour in the 7,500-foot free fall,” recalls Andrea. “He pulled the chute at 5,000 feet. Gliding down the rest of the way was more gentle, floating over green pastures, a few cows and the grassy air field.

“The landing was an easy sort of short skid with our legs making a four-point soft impact, mine being out in front and his being somewhat flexed backwards.

“Next time you are flying imagine crawling out the window and experiencing every emotion — terror, freedom, ecstasy — and a singular experience with someone you love making a memory that lasts forever.”

What’s more remarkable is that in June of 2000, Andrea was in New York Presbyterian Hospital, in a wheelchair, being pushed to most of her appointments. She’s truly a Gleevec success story.

This article was reprinted from the August 2003 issue of the Life Raft Group newsletter.