Sitting high above the city in his 15th floor condo, Derek Walton has no fear of heights, which is a good thing, considering he’s about to jump out of a plane.
Walton has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disease causes a person to become progressively paralyzed due to degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. There is currently no known cure.
“My philosophy of life is that in order to have a life of purpose, you need to have a purpose in life,” Walton said. “I am jumping out of a plane for awareness and to inspire others who have disabilities that we must live each day to its fullest.”
Walton’s fight with ALS began in May 2002, when the disease started in his hand before spreading to both arms and now into his legs.
“The average lifespan of someone with ALS is 2.7 years, and I have just gone into year eight. I am so blessed in that regard.”
In May 2008, he launched his own website to share his story and raise awareness about the disease.
“It’s one of the most unknown neurological diseases,” he said. “It’s the only one of all the neurological diseases that patients actually die from. Other diseases in this category, patients succumb to complications, not the disease itself.”
After brainstorming a bunch of ideas to help raise funds, he’s decided skydiving is the way to go.
His Jump for PALS (People with ALS) will take place on Aug. 22 at Skydive Toronto in Innisfil.
“The skydive is for two purposes. One, to raise awareness for ALS and two, to raise funds for research through my own foundation at Sunnybrook Hospital, which is the closest ALS Clinic.
While Walton has skydived before, this will be the first time since being diagnosed. He will be doing a tandem-jump, which means he will be attached to an experienced skydiver.
“We are going to be jumping from a height of 10,500 feet. Initially we will be dropping at a speed of 120 mph, or 185 kilometres per hour. Before we deploy the shoot at approximately 4,000 to 5,000 feet. We will be doing a free fall.”
Walton has been in training preparing for the jump. He’s been seeing a physiotherapist weekly and doing a number of exercises to guarantee a safe-landing.
He is also looking forward to interacting with people at the event, which will feature a barbecue, silent auction, gifts, entertainment from Butterscotch and Jordi International Clowns, face painting, pocket magic and lots of give-aways.
“It’s going to be a great event, the people from the Sunnybrook Foundation will be running things,” he said. “Everyone should come out.”
The Jump for PALS runs between 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Skydive Toronto is located at the 10th Sideroad and 4th Line of Innisfil.
For more information, visit www.waltoncure4als.ca.
