SNOHOMISH, Wash. — Tyler Schrenk doesn’t really do limits. But he does do nerves.
“I’m excited, little nervous,” he said.
Schrenk, who is paralyzed from the neck down, went to Skydive Snohomish on Thursday. It was his first time skydiving since his injury – he’d been once prior.
“February 2012, I had a diving accident in Lake Washington where I dove off the dock into shallow water and crushed my spine,” he said.
“After my injury, it changed everything,” he added. “I could no longer participate in the things I liked to, and for years, all I did is sit around and watch TV.”
Schrenk said the loss of his active lifestyle caused depression and anxiety. Now, he’s working on being active again. He’s able to tandem skydive with the help of a special harness to keep him properly oriented.
He also works to give other people with mobility issues more independence as well through the non-profit TSF.
“I’m doing this for myself, because it pushes my limits and boundaries, but if someone were to take something out of it, I’d be honored,” he said.
He wants to feel free – and thinks others should too.
“I definitely don’t want to accept going back to sitting around in front of the TV,” he said. “There’s more out there, and I can do whatever I want.”