WHY SKYDIVE?
Welcome to Fred’s Skydive MS!  This year will be my sixth time skydiving and my third jump to raise money for the National MS Society. I plan to do it every year in June around the time of Walk MS. (Due to the Covid-19 virus, last year's jump had to be postponed to September.) Due to personal health reasons, this year's jump was also delayed.  My tagline is "I can't walk, but I can fly!" I decided to do it during the summer of 2018 at a time when I was bed-bound for nearly 6 months recovering from a bad pressure sore.  I know, Gross! I guess I wanted to burst out of my confinement in a big way. 

​I do my jumps at Skydive at Cross Keys in Williamstown, NJ. They have become partners in making this a special event.  In 2020 my jump was covered by the Burlington County Times and Fox 29! I will reach out to them again.
 I was planning to jump June 16 but instead I spent the 16th through the 21st in the hospital receiving treatment for a UTI. I also had a problem with my Intrathecal Baclofen pump which stopped working and I had to have it surgically replaced.  My doctor advised me to take 6 weeks to recover before jumping. Then in September I spent another 5 days in the hospital due to UTI.  Sheesh! I hope to increase my fundraising, particularly through social media.   For me, skydiving is fun, exciting, thrilling and just a tiny bit scary!  More than anything though it's a way I can help raise money to help people like me who are struggling with this devastating disease. Thank you for your support, and like I said, you're welcome to jump with me or just come out to the airport. Hopefully next year I will be able to do my jump in June. 
ABOUT ME
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​I grew up in Moorestown and for nearly 20 years have lived in Burlington Township New Jersey. Back in 1994 a neurologist told me I had “a mild case of MS."  It was mild at the time, but unfortunately that has changed over time. Six or seven years later I started using a cane to help me walk and about a year after that I was using a wheelchair full-time for ambulation.  At the time I was working at Integrated Health Services, IHS, down in Maryland. In 2002 I filed for and was granted Social Security disability benefits,  stopped working and moved back to New Jersey where I was from and had more close friends including a brother. A couple years after moving back to New Jersey I got a call from my prior roommate, a CPA who had a one-man tax practice. He wanted to know if I would be interested in working remotely part-time for him.  I said “of course!” That was in 2004 and here we are in 2021 and I’m  still busy with work.  Sadly, my MS has continued to progress and I’ve lost the use of my left arm,  I keep chugging along though. My Catholic faith is my rock. I converted to the faith about 15 years ago. 
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
​The National MS Society isn't just about medical research. Living with MS can be expensive and the Society has helped me multiple times including vehicle modification grants, a shower remodeling, a grant to help with the cost of a wheelchair and transportation to medical appointments, just to name a few.