The most widely read magazine for Canadian lawyers
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50817
Thunder Bay lawyers take the plunge him. Still, he chose to subject him- self to some rather potent forces of nature by plunging out of a plane in the middle of the stratosphere last month. Along with his friend Christopher A Watkins, who suffers from arthritis, the Thunder Bay, Ont., lawyers com- pleted a potentially dangerous high- altitude skydive to raise awareness about people living with disabilities. "There's this total dichotomy," Shannon says of the jump. On the one hand, he tried to take in the spectacular scenery. On the other, he was faced with "the most vicious wind you've ever felt, and you're hoping your chute is going to open. Hoping that every risk that is present doesn't come true." Having jumped from more than 8,000 metres in the air, Shannon broke the record for a skydive by a quadriple- gic, according to Watkins. It's "Team Independence's" second big adventure within the last 12 months. In April 2009, they travelled to the North Pole, with Shannon becoming the first per- son with quadriplegia to reach that marker at the top of the world. Next year, the pair is planning to trek in the other direction, all the way to the South Pole. "People are capable of accomplishing great goals regardless of THE PRAIRIES Connecting with the community they can't bill a dime and their CEO and managing partner couldn't be happier. L awyers at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP will be putting in an increasing amount of work for which The Winnipeg-based law firm recent- ly announced nine of its associates and partners have accepted board positions with a variety of organizations. They are: Jan Lederman, regional vice chairwoman for the North American region of Lex Mundi corporate organiza- tions and securities practice group; Sacha Paul, director of Misericordia Health Centre Foundation; Peter Glowacki, www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com J A NU A R Y 2010 9 s a quadriplegic, lawyer David Shannon knows what it's like to have forces working against low-opening (HALO) jump tradi- tionally performed by military per- sonnel. HALO jumps, however, are complicated and can be risky due to the lack of oxygen at the dizzying heights. "After 15,000 feet, there sim- ply is not enough oxygen to breathe," Watkins says. So jumpers must wear oxygen tanks and heavy gear to pro- tect against the -60 C air. Also, all nitrogen must be flushed from the bloodstream; otherwise, the ascent can cause decompression sickness, which can be fatal. "Essentially, the reverse of a deep scuba dive is in play," says Watkins. Problems plagued their initial David Shannon and Christopher Watkins "Team Independence" celebrated the UN International Day of Disabled Persons with style. the challenges they have," says Watkins. But their ultimate goal is to raise money for a scholarship program for students with disabilities, says Shannon. After a lifetime of personal accomplishments, he is now turning his focus outwards. "I'm not that interested anymore in just fending for myself," he says. Shannon and Watkins went outside New Orleans for their high-altitude, ascent and their first jump had to be aborted. The two lawyers then dis- cussed whether they should give up on the jump altogether but decided to go for it. The pair got in the plane a second time. But the oxygen problems continued. Shannon lost his supply a few more times. Watkins, too, had breathing problems and he began to lose consciousness before they both jumped out the plane's door. Watkins says he dropped for about 3,000 metres before he fully regained his senses. The pair has since returned to Thunder Bay where Watkins practises criminal, real estate, civil, and criminal injuries compensation law. Shannon is currently pursuing a doctorate from the University of Leeds. —TS