Skydiver Completes 101 Jumps in 12 Hours for Parkinson's Research
— -- Though Wisconsin skydiver Kevin Burkart fell short of completing his goal of 300 jumps in 24 hours on Wednesday, he still managed to accomplish another feat: raising $130,000 for Parkinson's disease research.
The 45-year-old skydiver, whose left arm is completely paralyzed, told ABC News today that he had set out to beat his previous jumping record in honor of his 75-year-old father, Gary Burkart, who's been battling Parkinson's for nearly two decades.
Parkinson's is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement and can cause dementia.
"I decided to combine my two passions —- skydiving and raising awareness of Parkinson’s -- to make a difference in my dad’s life and the 1 million Americans living with PD,” Kevin Burkart said, according to a news release from the National Parkinson Foundation's Minnesota chapter.
"As hard as it is to skydive with one arm, it’s even harder to face this disease on a daily basis," he added.
Kevin Burkart previously completed 151 jumps in 24 hours in 2013 -- setting the state record in Wisconsin for the most skydive jumps attempted in the span of one day, according to the United States Parachute Association (USPA).
Burkart was determined to beat that record on Wednesday in Baldwin, Minnesota, as part of an event he created to raise money for finding a cure.
Bad weather, however, forced Burkart to end the event early.
He still managed to complete an impressive 101 jumps in 12 hours and Burkart said he was incredibly proud with the turnout. The event was held outside the Skydive Twin Cities facility, which he owns.
"Every jump I did was in honor of someone living with Parkinson's," he said. "Throughout the whole time, we had a professional announcer reading these brave people's stories and we had multiple activities and contests throughout the day."
Burkart hopes he inspired other people "to go out and do something that scares you."
"I think that if you want to change the world, you have to push the envelope and be willing to overcome your fears," he said.
