WWII nurse checks skydiving off her bucket list on her 100th birthday

100-year-old Raymonde Sullivan has led a life peppered with adventure. During World War II, she was a nurse in her native UK. However, she secretly worked undercover as a member of a clandestine resistance group called "The Underground," which operated in the shadows to undermine Germany's war effort.

Since her youth, Raymonde has been fascinated with aeronautics. Her sister lived near an aircraft factory, and she also recalls squadrons of German bombers flying above her home in the south of England. Indeed, she survived several Nazi bombing raids, one of which set fire to her sister's house. Planes have been part of her life. She even married a pilot, who became a decorated World War II hero and later flew commercial aircraft in Australia.

Still vibrant and up for a challenge, Raymonde wanted to do something special for her 100th birthday. But nobody could have predicted what it would be, as the item at the top of her bucket list was to go skydiving!

Watch the video to see a 100-year-old woman make her first parachute jump.

So, how does a centenarian fulfill such a wild ambition? Well, Raymonde began by approaching her friend, Karen Plante, with the idea. Karen was a skydiver who'd started parachuting in her mid-seventies.

"Two years ago, I made my first jump," says Plante. "She asked me about it and asked if I would take her on her hundredth birthday. And I said, absolutely, I'd be honored to do that. And that's, that's how it all got started."

Naturally, many people were skeptical about Raymonde's desire to parachute jump. Even the local skydiving club instructors initially couldn't quite believe it.

"They were totally amazed," says Plante. "What do you mean? A hundred-year-old lady jumping out of a plane? There's no way. Well, yes, way! This lady is not a hundred years old. This lady is closer to maybe 80, in my estimation. She is just about the spiciest lady that I know. She's wonderful."

Determined to prove the doubters wrong, Raymonde signed up for the mission. And with no training, she teamed up with an instructor and videographer from a company called Skydive Sebastian. Then, on the big day, she climbed aboard a small plane and prepared to make a tandem jump over the city of Sebastian in Indian River County, Florida.

"I just wondered what it would be like. I wasn't exactly nervous because I'd wanted to do it for so long," says Raymonde.

When the moment of truth arrived, Raymonde and her instructor leaped from the plane at around 10,000 feet, and began freefalling at 200 feet per second, reaching a speed of about 120 mph.

"When you jump out, all the pressure around is a bit of a shock," says Raymonde. "It was tremendous pressure, like something pressing down on me."

However, after a few tense moments, Raymonde began to enjoy the ride. And when the parachute opened, she was able to take in the breathtaking view as she floated back to Earth.

"I saw beautiful beaches and countryside. Very pretty," she says.

After a safe and gentle landing, Raymonde enjoyed a birthday party with family and friends who'd come to support her. Naturally, her courage and adventurous spirit amazed everyone. But the centenarian has hinted that her high-flying days may not be over. And she'll be in good company if she continues.

Like Raymonde, Australia's Irene O'Shea also made her first tandem parachute jump at the age of 100. O'Shea started skydiving to raise awareness for Lou Gehrig's disease, which had killed her daughter ten years prior. She went on to make two more jumps, the last of which took place in 2018 when she set a world record for the oldest tandem skydiver at the ripe old age of 102!

But the record kept falling. In 2020, the USA's Kathryn Hodges made a tandem jump aged 103 years and 129 days old. Then, in May this year, 103-year-old Ruth Larsson of Sweden, who took up skydiving aged 101, beat that mark by just a few days to set a new Guinness World Record.

At present, Raymonde doesn't have her sights on being a record-breaker, but she hasn't ruled out jumping again.

"I'm thinking about doing it next year," she says. "But I haven't quite decided. I'll be 101. That's if I'm still around."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WWII veteran falls from the sky on her 100th birthday