How disability doesn’t stop Isaac Harvey from pursuing his passion for adventure
British disability advocate Isaac Harvey, who will speak at a Hong Kong gala in November, refuses to let his condition limit his ambition
Isaac Harvey’s passion for adrenaline-fuelled adventure started in 2015 when the Briton completed his first skydive. But his biggest challenge was not jumping out of a plane at 14,000ft (4,267 metres). It was the events leading up to it.
Airfields across Britain told Harvey that skydiving was not possible because of his disability: he was born with limb/pelvis hypoplasia/aplasia (LPHA) syndrome. This rare genetic condition resulted in his being born with no arms, short legs, a weak pelvis and scoliosis – curvature of the spine.
“Skydiving harnesses didn’t exist that could meet my needs, and after months of rejection, I almost gave up,” says Harvey.
But quitting is not in his nature, so he found an airfield in the United States that had the right equipment.