Senior citizen skydiving: Veronica MacDermid working on her bucket list

Veronica MacDermid of Charlottetown is turning 65 soon, and has been checking off a few items on her bucket list.

Back in the 70s she had watched a training film for her job as a nurse on overcoming your fears.

One thing the film showed was someone doing a parachute jump out of an airplane.

MacDermid filed that away as something she might like to try.

"I put it on the back burner, and I just thought I would, someday," she told Island Morning's Mitch Cormier. "And this is the weekend."

Timing finally right

MacDermid is heading off to Dieppe, N.B., to take that bold leap.

Nearly 65-years-oldmight seem like an odd time to take up skydiving, but MacDermid has an explanation.

"I never thought about it before," she said. "It means more to me now. I'm older and I'm more mature."

She said she has something she didn't have before, that will help her through the jump.

"I have more self-worth now, and self-esteem than I had before. I had counselling, and I had Al-Anon," she said. "I have to put a plug in there for that, because I believe in the program, I love the program."

Faith helps

MacDermid is pretty sure she knows what she'll be thinking of during the jump. "How great thou art," she chuckled. "I'm not a religious person, but I'm putting it all in God's hands and he'll take me through, I know He will."

A niece is going to go along for the dive as well.

MacDermid said she doesn't know a whole lot about the particulars of the jump, but she does believe she'll be attached to someone. "Yes, and I hope he's young and cute."

As for the bucket list, she still has a few more highlights to check off, including a sightseeing trip to Ottawa, and taking another kind of dive. "Going skinny-dipping!" she laughed.

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