From our friend Duane Palmer in Tennessee,

“Please meet Jennifer & Steve Helffrich…

Jennifer & Steve Helffrich

Jennifer, Steve & Friends

Steve as Tandem Master

On Saturday, April 10, 2010, during a normal skydive, Steve experienced a double malfunction (failure of both the main and reserve parachutes to fully deploy and/or inflate) and was flown via Life Flight to the only trauma center within 150 miles, Regional Medical Center (also known as ‘The Med’) in Memphis, Tennessee.

Steve sustained multiple life threatening injuries including damage to his aorta (the most serious of his injuries), punctured/deflated left lung, dislocated/broken right hip, and broken ribs on the right side (#5 thru #9).

Since being admitted into the trauma ICU, Steve has undergone several surgeries including vascular surgery to repair his aorta, the insertion of 6 chest tubes total, as well as surgery last week to remove excess fluid and infection surrounding his left lung.

Known by many as the “Mom and Dad” of the drop zone, Jen & Steve are always doing kind things for others while expecting nothing in return.  Most of us that skydive with them spend every weekend sharing our passion for the sport and the amazing friendships that have been established.  To a majority of us, they are our extended family.  Jen & Steve are both amazing skydivers, coaches, and most of all, friends – sharing this zest for life with anyone and everyone that will listen to them speak about the sport.

In this time of need, those of us that are friends, family, acquaintances, and those that will never “jump out of a perfectly good airplane,” have the opportunity to show them our support – whether it be through well wishes, cards, private prayer/church prayer lists, and/or donations.

Thankfully, Jen & Steve have insurance but with an accident of this severity, there are numerous additional incurred bills/daily hardships.  In order to show support, the Helffrich Benefit Fund has been established through First Tennessee Bank.

There are 3 options of how you can donate to this Fund:

#1:        Visit ANY First Tennessee Bank branch with the following account information:
Helffrich Benefit Fund (Account #182355531)
** NOTE: To find the closest First Tennessee Bank location to you, CLICK HERE **

#2:        Visit https://public.serviceu.com/payment/default.asp?OrgID=12725&PaymentID=7920

Enter contact information & banking information
(Check #/Checking Account Number/Routing Number)

** NOTE: This payment option is through David P. Smith’s Company, ServiceU Corporation, whose business is processing secure online transactions. **

#3:        If you are unable to visit a First Tennessee Bank location, do not have a branch in your area and/or do not wish to donate online, a check made out to Helffrich Benefit Fund can be sent to:

David P. Smith
1154 Talamore Cove
Collierville, TN  38017

Should you wish to send a card to Jen & Steve, please address them to:

David P. Smith
Attn:  Helffrich Family
1154 Talamore Cove
Collierville, TN  38017″

Current Update: He finally made it home last week. As it turned out he was really, really lucky!! It was really touch and go for a while there. He is now up and able to move around to a degree with a walker. And is very positive about life!!

But the running tally was 3 surgeries, 9 chest tubes (at different times), 31 days in ICU, 1 night in a regular room, 2 nights in Trauma Step Down ICU, countless x-rays and CT’s, a stent in the aorta, a trach, several broken bones all healing and about 35 lbs dropped. Plus 2 weeks in an rehab center.

The family could still use the financial help until he is able to get back up and to work. Any help would be great!!

He actually was able to get up and made it out to the DZ last weekend (didn’t jump naturally, but his wife got in a couple). The incident didn’t scare him away from the sport in the least. I think that he will be more involved now than ever. In training, coaching and teaching safety!! I can’t wait until he is able to be back in the air with us…

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Well, this is a post I never thought I’d write. The seemingly indestructible Hungarian jumper Peter G has passed on to the great drop zone in the sky. I’ve never had a bigger crush on a bigger ass (if you knew him, you know what I mean) and we’ll all miss the infamous Peter G-isms. Like, “Vat, vat do you mean I can’t go downwind across the spectator area?” and “My friend, my friend…[insert awesomely weird advice here].” and “I’m alvays jumping. Even ven I sleep I am jumping.” Got more? Please share in the comments!

Peter’s family would like his ashes to return to Hungary, so there are a few fundraisers to help make that happen. Tanya Hannington is organizing an auction at the Ranch in New York. Prizes – so far – include 2 Blue Skies Mag subscriptions, Sun Path gear bags, reserve pack jobs, framed photographs, coach jumps and tons more. Donate something if you can and get to the Ranch to bid on some cool stuff.

Here are some photos that Peter G sent us and my slacker ass never got around to doing anything with.

The story he sent was,

“On September 6th during the infamous Skydive New England Tiki Bar Boogie freeflyers set an official Maine state Head Down record. The jump was part of 3 day freefly bender. With Travis Fienhage and Andy Malchiodi from SoCal Converge on hand organizing head up, head down, angle flying, and spaceball jumps it was only natural to throw a record in there. After determining that there was no official record it was decided to put together an 8-way round that would launch right out the door slot perfect. Local New England flyers Adam Laware, Chris McNaughton, Mark Rouillard, PJ Jackson and Dave Swanson combined with Dave Colucci, and the SoCal guys to put a record in the books on the first attempt. To ensure all went as planned Peter G. was on hand to get the perfect shot.”

Sorry, guys, to take so long to get that up. BSBD, Peter G.

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We got an update on G, the swooper who was injured at World Cup in South Africa in November. From Julie, “He is now standing with assistance; as of 01/01, has some need of physio therapy, eating & talking, still wears halo device, hope to transfer to States in Feb.” His family and he still needs some help paying for all the costs of this injury, so the PayPal account is still active and ready for your New Year’s good karma donations Thoughts and prayers are just as helpful (we think, anyway) if you can’t spare a buck.

The PayPal info again is:
LT197044060003600396
Inga Gaizauskiene
AB SEB bankas
Gedimino pr. 12, LT- 01103 Vilnius
Banko Kodas 70440
SWIFT Kodas CBVILT2X
email account info: gaizauskiene.inga@hotmail.com

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Dedicated readers might remember Eugenio “Keno” Dominguez from our August issue. His NSTIW story of a June 2009 freefall collision was harrowing, to say the least. Our friends from Airtec recently let us know that Keno is back in the air, and he agreed to let us share his e-mail to them. We’ll hopefully have a follow-up interview with Keno in the next issue of Blue Skies Mag, but first, check out the video of the jump…

From: “Eugenio Dominguez G.”
To: Helmut Cloth, “Rob ‘Dutch’ Kendall”
Date: 12/21/2009 01:11 AM
Subject: Back in the air!!!!!!!!!!!!

Helmut and Rob:

Hope you remember me! , im Just writing you guys to say Hi, and tell that im in the last part of my healing. Everything is OK, just my eye is not closing perfectly, but is a very small detail.

Yesterday I came back to the air!!!!!!!!! Yes, was my first jump since my accident!!, I had a tandem first, and then fly with my friend, doing some good grips in belly.

Im completely happy !! im been waiting this since june 10th!!!

Thanks again for everything and for working every day to improve details to save more and more people.

During the surgery I had my nice suit all broken, so im desingning a new one, and Its completely important for me to have CYPRES written on it. I hope there´s no problem to do that.

I really never gonna forget my accident, and the answer of how i didn´t explode on the floor, is CYPRES.

Cypress is gonna live with me for ever.

OK, hoping you guys are doing Ok, having some nice jumps, Best Regards

Keno

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Photo courtesy of Skydive Midwest

Giedrius “G” Kasiulynas was injured during a training jump at the World Cup in South Africa and is currently in critical condition. Although he is on staff at Skydive Midwest in Wisconsin, his family is in Lithuania, where he is originally from. They need to get to South Africa to make medical decisions about G’s life, so an account has been set up to help them make the trip.

Julie from Skydive Midwest sent us this information this morning:

The info for his sister; Inga’s PayPal account, for donations: gaizauskiene.inga@gmail.com

LT197044060003600396

Her other info:

Inga Gaizauskiene
AB SEB bankas
Gedimino pr. 12, LT-01103 Vilnius
SWIFT Kodos CBVILZX

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Air sports suffered an enormous loss yesterday; Eli Thompson lost his life doing a wingsuit jump in Switzerland. The Red Bull guys have a memorial to him here: redbullairforce.com/2009/08/eli-thompson-1973-2009. We send his wife Sarah, two daughters and soon-to-be son our condolences and prayers.

We’d like to publish a look at Eli’s life and contributions to the sports of skydiving and BASE jumping for the October issue—contact us at lara@blueskiesmag.com if you have anything you’d like to share about his many, many achievements or how he’s impacted your life.

Blue skies, Eli—may you fly in peace forever.

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I started jumping in 1999 @ Skydive Walterboro in SC, where I work now as a Tandem Instuctor and Videographer (back to home DZ after 10 yrs.).

I started Static-line and had to do 7 static-line jumps before I could do my first freefall. When I finally got to do my first freefall, we went to 4,500ft AGL and I was supposed to do a 5 sec delay, then pull the ripcord. My jumpmaster jumped with me, but as I left the plane I started a left spin. My jumpmaster had no AAD and I was spinning so fast that he couldn’t get in and stop the spin for fear of being knocked unconscious. In my mind I was thinking “I have to get stable” and not thinking….. PULL. And I never did. I never pulled the ripcord and I had about a 26 sec. freefall from 4500 ft. Do the math!

Wow! (Thank God for Cypress) my AAD fired around 1000 ft AGL and my jumpmaster and the people (including my wife at the time) on the ground watching for my 5 sec pull were freaking! People on the ground couldn’t see my reserve opening because I was about a mile off course and below the tree line. It actually says in my logbook “Jumpmaster deployed at 1100 feet…… student was still spinning”. Everyone thought that I and the jumpmaster went in.

As it turned out, my reserve opened with extreme-multiple line twists from the spin and as I was kicking out of the twists, I was headed for the tree line. I knew I was going in the trees but I couldn’t steer clear because of the line twist, so as I came into the top of a 70ft pine tree I wrapped my arms around the trunk…which was small at the top and I held on.

The canopy rested in the tree and I unhooked my harness and shimmed down to the ground. Police, ambulance, rescue and fire Trucks arrived a few minutes later and wanted to know where the body was of the person whose chute never opened. People in the houses across the street from the woods had called 911 and reported two people whose chutes never opened. I had to do my practice ripcord pulls over, which meant about four more static-line jumps before another freefall, but I made it and I’ve been in the sport for ten years. I’m now a Tandem Instructor and I have over 1,100 jumps. I had to swallow my pride to go back the next weekend and tell them I was ready to continue my training and for a long-time I was called “Dead-Man-Walking”, but the joy I get from this sport is well worth the pride I swallowed to continue jumping.

May God Bless your mag as he has blessed me with this sport and please send me a copy of the first print of….. Blue Skies Magazine!
Take care and blue skies to you…..

Dale L. Carter D-24357

Have a similar story to Dale’s? What kind of advice would you give a new student who just did the same thing? Share your reactions in the comments below.

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