Waukesha Candidate Survives Virus Jumps Out Of Plane

WAUKESHA, WI — While most people would rest after a bout with the coronavirus, rest is for the wicked for a Waukesha alderman who jumped out of a plane. Aaron Perry, a candidate for State Assembly District 97, went skydiving for the first time on Friday to raise awareness for mental health.

"Mental illness gets ignored when we talk about healthcare," Perry told Patch.

Perry was in East Troy with 103.7 KISS FM host Andy Riggs, who is a skydiving instructor for Skydive Milwaukee. He is asking people to donate money to the charity of their choice and not to his election campaign.

Perry said that he sees a therapist and hopes more people will be open about getting help. In the past, there was a stigma that if a person is in therapy, "they must be crazy," he explained.

"2020 has proven we need to be prepared for anything," he said.

Perry told Patch jumping out of the plane was an amazing rush like no other.

"I have nothing but gratitude for Andy Riggs and Skydive Milwaukee for the experience today. I hope this brings much needed attention to mental health. This example of overcoming a fear is something I hope helps others," Perry said.

Jumping for mental health

The question remains, why advocate for mental health from 13,500 feet off the ground? Perry said he has always wanted to skydive and always looked up to pro skydiver Riggs.

Riggs has done over 600 skydives and considers it a form of self-care. His first tandem skydive was with his wife Elana in 2012, and he was hooked.

As terrifying as some find it, it is relaxing for the radio host.

Depending on staffing, Riggs will either be doing video or jumping with Perry on Thursday as his instructor.

Riggs said the rewarding aspect of being an instructor is watching the person's mindset go from complete fear to feeling they can conquer the world after they land.

"They see they have done something and pushed themselves to a limit not a lot of people can do," Riggs said.

Riggs told Patch skydiving is not just a bucket list thing, but a mental thing. It is about facing something you wouldn't normally do.

"If you are going to jump out of a plane, why not do it for a good cause?" Perry said.

'Mental health pandemic'

The topic of mental health hits close to home for Riggs, who lost an uncle to suicide in 2017. As he started researching suicide and mental health, he related his uncle's death to high profile suicides such as actor Robin Williams.

"These people seemed very happy on the outside but were suffering on the inside. I discovered a lot of people like that," Riggs said.

Riggs found many individuals bottle up their emotions and feelings. The discovery propelled his passion for mental health and encouraging people to seek help. Riggs told Patch he is concerned with people feeling isolated during the pandemic.

"I feel very strongly that our next pandemic will be a mental health pandemic," he said.

Since his uncle's death, Riggs has also lost friends to suicide, which has reinforced his mission. Riggs enjoys having conversations about depression, anxiety and speaking to those who have lost loved ones to suicide. He feels good about helping people find hope and solace.

Riggs called mental health an interesting facet of life.

"We overlook it all the time because we are so concerned with our physical health," he said. "We forget to be careful about our mental health."

Riggs is a huge champion for mental health and has a podcast — Riggs OFF the Radio — featuring Mental Health Monday episodes where he works to break the stigma around mental health.

Anyone struggling with mental health can get help by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or by texting HOME to 741741 to reach a crisis counselor.