VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Virginia Beach woman is turning 80 on Saturday, but you may be surprised by how she chose to celebrate her birthday.
Last month, Dixie Lehman, a resident at Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay, celebrated her 80th birthday by going skydiving with Skydive Suffolk for the fifth time with her son, Sandra Parker shared with News 3.
For the past five years, Lehman and her son have gone skydiving to celebrate their birthdays, which both happen in August, Lehman shared in an interview.
She explained why she decided to celebrate her birthday this way.
"It was just one of those things that seemed like it would be something unusual, and something to look forward to, and just a way to make a bond and a connection with my son," Lehman said.
When she was 18 months old, Lehman got polio, and doctors told her parents that she would never walk normally.
"Actually, the doctors told my mom and my dad that I would never walk without crutches or braces. And my mom said, 'Watch her.' So from then on it was, there are no limits. Go for it," Lehman said.
As you can see, Lehman is living life to the fullest and seeking thrills that bring her joy.
"It is, as I said, a new perspective on life and the world, and it's exhilarating, and that feeling lasts for days... And just the feeling of, 'I did this. This is great,'" said Lehman, describing the feeling that comes with skydiving.
