- In his younger years, Ian had been a bit of a daredevil, taking part in adrenalin-pumping activities like paragliding, parasailing, and hot air ballooning
- When his dear wife suffered with an enlarged heart and didn’t make it through heart surgery, Ian was devastated
- He tried to busy himself by being a bingo caller and playing lawn bowls but as his 90th birthday approached, he wanted to try something new
- Ian decided he wanted to jump out of a plane and with his family’s help, he made it happen
- Ian Robinson, from Windsor Park, NZ, shares the story of his daredevil celebration…
I woke to intense pain searing across my shoulder blades.
Reaching across the bed, I shook my wife Œnone, 83, to wake her.
“We need to go home,” I gasped.
It was June 2019, and we were on holiday in the Bay of Islands, NZ.
I’d experienced chest pains days earlier but staff at the local hospital said I was fine.
Now the pains were back.
“I’ll drive,” Œnone offered.
“No, I will, it’ll keep my mind off the pain,” I said.
It took four hours to drive the 240km to Auckland.
“You’re having a massive heart attack,” a doctor at the North Shore Hospital said.
They couldn’t believe I’d driven all the way from the Bay of Islands in this condition, but I’d always been a daredevil!
I was transferred to Auckland Hospital for an emergency angiogram.
Following this, four stents were successfully inserted into my arteries to keep the blood pumping.
Over the coming year I made a steady recovery.
In April 2020, my wife and I were playing pétanque in the back garden when she began to have difficulty breathing.
“Not you, too, Œnone!” I fretted.
I took her to hospital where doctors determined she had an enlarged heart.
She had open heart surgery at Auckland Hospital but sadly she didn’t make it.
Losing my dear Œnone was incredibly painful.
I needed to keep my mind occupied and busied myself within my community as a bingo caller and regular at outdoor bowls.
I’d always loved a thrill and had previously been paragliding, parasailing, and hot air ballooning.
With my 90th birthday fast approaching, I wanted to celebrate by trying a new experience.
I’d love to jump out of a plane, I thought.
Read more: I finished Dad’s bucket list and it changed my life
My grandsons, Hayden and Cameron, both in their 30s, loved the idea.
“We’ll join you!” they said.
My cardiac nurse Jo was less enthusiastic about my daredevil intentions.
“I won’t stop you,” she said. “I can see it’s something you really want to do.”
I decided I should use the skydive to help others with heart disease.
Heart Foundation NZ started a fundraiser page which I shared with my family and friends.
On April 30, 2024, my 90th birthday, I woke up to a glorious sunny day at my Arvida Knightsbridge care home.
My daughter Jacinda, 54, drove me to Parakai, NZ, where a crowd of around 30 friends and family were waiting to watch my feat.
As the plane took off into the sky, I didn’t feel nervous at all, just excited!
“Good luck, Gramps,” Hayden said, grinning.
At 18,000 feet, I fell out of the plane with an instructor and whizzed downwards at 200km per hour.
I didn’t love the wind hitting my face but once the chute opened, I relaxed.
The scenery was lovely.
We all landed in a field next to my cheering supporters.
The stunt raised over $5000 for the Heart Foundation NZ.
Œnone would be proud, I thought joyfully.
If I live to 100, I plan to celebrate by walking on the wing of an aeroplane.
But whatever this next chapter holds, I know it will be full of adventure.
Ian is a resident at Arvida Knightsbridge rest home
