ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Fla. — Kathleen Tripp, 70, doesn't have much time left on this Earth, but she still feels lucky.
"I've been gifted with a lot of different things and joy," said Tripp. "I'm lucky."
She has stage four breast cancer.
"When I decided to stop taking aggressive chemotherapy, I was scared," said Tripp.
She became a patient at Tidewell Hospice in Manatee County in March.
When she was asked what she wanted to do for her final wish, she said she would like to go parasailing.
"Parasailing is as close to flying as you can get," said Tripp.
That's exactly what she did Friday morning near Anna Maria Island.
"It was so exhilarating, I'd recommend anybody do it. You don't have to be sick to do it," said Tripp.
However, when the Tidewell Foundation Wishes Fund went to pay the bill, the parasailing company wouldn't take the money. They said they wanted to pick up the tab themselves.
Ironically, the company is called "YOLO Adventures."
YOLO stands for you only live once.
"That's right. You only live once," said Tripp. "You think you're going to live forever and when you find out you're not, you know you have to make some decisions."
Kathleen Tripp said she feels lucky to enjoy the water one final time.
"To be able to go on the boat and fly through the air, I never thought I'd be able to do it again, so I guess I would say it's mostly a wish come true."
