Blind skydiver, 71, inspires people
By Laura RillosCRESSWELL, Ore. -- She's 71 years old and blind, and on Sunday, Kazuko Renes jumped out of an airplane. The Winston resident hopes to show others she can do anything. "If you think positively about everything, you can do anything even if you're blind, handicapped, whatever," she said, before attempting Sunday's jump. Renes began losing her sight in her twenties and says she let her blindness discourage her. "I was so sad and pitiful and sorry for myself," she said, "but not anymore." That change took place a few years ago after a seminar with the Oregon Commission for the Blind members. Renes decided to take life head on. On Sunday, that meant skydiving at Eugene Sky Divers, based at the Cresswell Airport. Renes could barely contain her excitement, as her instructor guided her through the jump on the ground, then strapped her into a harness. After a few good luck hugs from her husband and family, Renes got into the airplane. After a short flight thousands of feet into the sky, Renes finally got to jump. On the ground, her family watched as she emerged as a tiny dot, grew bigger and she floated closer, then finally touched down in a field near Mt. Pisgah. When she ran over to greet them, Renes described the jump. "Oh the only word I have is heaven. It's great, it feels so good. It's free, just like a bird."
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