Falling for the wife all over again!

A loving husband overcame his fear of heights to take a spectacular dive for his wife – and in the process help her tick another adventure off her bucket list.

Marian Daniels from Tuam was all set to do a skydive as the second last thing on that bucket list – until her hips told her otherwise. So she asked hubby Ronnie to stand in, and fall for her all over again!

The only problem was that Ronnie has no great love of heights, so tumbling from a plane at 10,000 feet – albeit in tandem, strapped to a seasoned professional – was far from his idea of fun.

But because it was for Marian – and to raise funds for the RNLI – he did it.

“The parachute jump took place in Clonbullogue, outside Edenderry in Co. Offaly last Saturday week, after many hours of waiting round for the cloud to lift,” reveals Marian.

“Ronnie eventually made the jump at 4.40 – and for a man who doesn’t like heights he absolutely loved it,” she adds.

Marian would have happily done it herself, but recurring problems with her hips ruled her out on medical advice.

She had her hips replaced four years ago, and when one of them dislocated, she needed a new replacement, and it was only a year since the surgery.

“My consultant said it could be healing for another eight months. I hated to let the RNLI down as I already had to cancel it a year ago. So I asked my husband to go in my place,” said the 67 year old.

Ironically the dive was a Christmas present from Ronnie and daughter Pamela to Marian, who lives in Brownsgrove in Tuam.

“I’m the only one in this family who’s a daredevil,” she laughs. “He wouldn’t go over the speed limit he’s so careful. He must love me very much.”

She may have to upgrade Ronnie to hero status after this, because it’s been a busy time for him – on and off the ground. He spent the lockdown, delivering oxygen to hospitals from a base in Oranmore.

Marian is nearly at the end of her bucket list, having swum with dolphins and gone to a Celine Dion concert in Las Vegas.

She has tested Ronnie’ s fear of heights before, because she had already roped him in for a hot air balloon ride in France as well as a paragliding session over the water.  “He didn’t want to do it but he did and loved it,” she reveals.

Her three hip operations have done nothing to dint her enthusiasm for life – and she is already making plans to take to the skies herself when medical advice allows it.

“I want to do this skydive – maybe to celebrate my 70th in three years’ time. It will have well healed by then,” she says.

But first she wanted to thank all who have donated to the RNLI in her name, via iDonate.

“I am very grateful for all of their support – and for those who still wish to donate to this very worthy cause the iDonate page is active until the end of August,” she adds.