The days leading to Nick’s first jump were chaotic, even if only in my mind. Just the organizing of the event had me running, let alone the filming of the movie, the multiple appointments to get Nick a new pair of legs, the friends coming to town, and the ironing out the safety concerns of the jump itself. We were busy!
A few days prior, we test jumped the rig and canopy Nick would be using for the jump and identified a minor adjustment that we needed to make. Watching Match land the canopy gave us a visual idea of what to expect for Nick’s landing, even though he did land downwind.
We wanted the jump day to be special for our friends and family, so we planned a BBQ and provided all the fixins. We rolled out of Costco with two carts full and barely fit everything into our car!
At Costco- with 150 burgers and buns and everything in between!
Our seriously funny and faithful friends the Avadikians (of Foot Transplant Video fame) made a special trip down from Nor Cal to stay the weekend with us and celebrate Nick’s jump. I won’t go into all the details, because frankly it’s still quite a mystery, but within an hour of their arrival, around midnight Thursday night, Nick and I were following an ambulance to the hospital. We joked that Nick would finally see what it’s like to go through the front door of a hospital emergency room. Turns out Doug is going to be okay, but we all got quite a scare. And instead of leisurely enjoying their company the day before the big jump, we were visiting with them in the ICU. Oh how the tables had turned. And just like before, when Nick was the one with the gown and the IV’s, we just couldn’t stop laughing, even if we were nervous about them not being discharged in time to see Nick’s jump.
Couldn’t help myself… the situation really WAS unbelievable!
On Friday, the day before the jump, Match came out to stay with us and record everything we did leading up to the jump, including prepping lettuce and onions for 150 burgers, packing Nick’s parachute, making signs for the Project Walk fundraiser, and even kissing each other good night.
While I was with the Avadikians at the hospital that afternoon, Nick and Match visited Cyrus to pick up his brand new legs! They fit perfectly and within moments it was obvious that his walking would now be more stable and less labored. Cyrus pulled some serious strings to get Nick’s new legs in time for Saturday. We are so grateful for his dedication! Instead of wrapping them in camo like his last two pairs, this time Nick went for traditional carbon fiber. They look so cool!
Nick Fener 