Grounded Dreams Take Flight

The first time Gary Waldman saw joy on his daughter Serena’s face, she was 2. The life-hardened veteran a twitch away from suicide wept.

He had no reason to expect joy from his little girl. Her life was a technological miracle. A disastrous birth had left her with cerebral palsy, constant seizures, no speech, limited movement.

None of that changed after he took her for a ride in a hot-air balloon 14 years ago. But it seemed to. Her smile lighted Gary’s darkness and gave him direction.

That experience sparked the construction of the nation’s only Federal Aviation Administration-approved, wheelchair-accessible hot-air balloon, Serena’s Song. Since 1992, the balloon has flown more than 6,000 children with disabilities. Every one has flown free.

Over Labor Day weekend, Serena’s Song will be in Coeur d’Alene offering free flights to anyone with a disability. Gary is so smitten with the area that he would like to move his family and balloon here permanently from Iowa.

“I like the community support,” he says. But he’d have to find local sponsors to help him cover the costs of flying the balloon.

Serena’s birth in 1983 was unexpectedly difficult. Cheryl Waldman’s placenta separated early and Serena, healthy to that point, was believed to be stillborn.

Doctors worked 10 minutes to revive her, then sent her to the hospital morgue. A few minutes later, a nurse noticed the baby’s chest moving. Serena was put on a ventilator, but 21 minutes had elapsed. The damage was irreversible.

“I knew the moment of her birth, we were stepping off a cliff,” Gary says.

Life changed drastically.

The Waldmans left the hospital $250,000 in debt. Serena had violent seizures every 60 seconds. She needed constant care. Gary, who was 40 and had taught school for 20 years, stayed home to care for the baby and a weakened Cheryl.

Two years passed before new medication lengthened the time between Serena’s seizures to 10 to 20 minutes. That gave Gary and his baby some desperately needed freedom. When a friend invited Gary to go ballooning, Gary took Serena.

He lifted her wheelchair into the basket, wrapped her in a blanket and set her in the chair, then tied it to the fuel tank for stability. As the balloon rose, Serena cracked her first broad smiles.

“I realized something important was happening,” Gary says. “Wow, that was some powerful medicine.”

A picnic with other children with disabilities convinced him the world needed a wheelchair-accessible hot air balloon.

“I never saw such a total bummer disaster in my life,” Gary says. “I kept thinking if we had a balloon, this would be a joyous experience. We could focus on something other than the children’s misery.”

He had no money. He’d lost his house and car to debts. Even a used balloon he could modify would cost $5,000. Gary told his buddies he wanted to build a special balloon but didn’t know how.

One old friend said he was sick of Gary’s whining.

“He says, `Shut up or do something,”’ Gary says, chuckling. “I thought, `That’s pretty good advice.”’

Watching the “Phil Donohue Show” on television introduced Gary to Californian Robert DeBolt, a father of 14 adopted children with severe disabilities.

Gary wrote to DeBolt about his idea. DeBolt advised Gary not to cut corners and helped him set up a nonprofit corporation so he could raise money.

Eight years and $32,500 later, Serena’s Song rose into the air before 100,000 spectators.

“This was my therapy. It kept me from going off the deep end,” Gary says.

The balloon isn’t a moneymaker, and Gary would rather spend his time flying kids than courting sponsors.

He refuses to charge anyone with a disability to ride. Organizations that book Serena’s Song cover expenses only. Gary sold his house and car last year to keep the balloon working.

Lonnie Soderberg, recreation coordinator for Alpha Health Services Inc. in Post Falls, brought Serena’s Song to Idaho last year.

Lonnie had taken 20 of his developmentally disabled clients to a balloon race in Nevada and was moved to tears at how they blossomed during a ride.

“I’ve been asked by someone in that group at least once a week ever since when we’re going back.” he says.

Weather grounded Serena’s Song in Post Falls last year, but Gary discovered North Idaho. He was pleased when Lonnie raised $11,500 to bring him back this year. The Soroptomists chipped in $5,000, which prompted other groups to donate smaller amounts.

Lonnie already knows who’ll fly first this weekend - David Peterson, a severely disabled 29-year-old. David has outlived doctors’ expectations by 15 years. His greatest wish is to fly.

“I’m not sure if there’ll be enough room for anyone else in the balloon because anyone who’s ever worked with David will be there with him,” says Jody Dodd, one of his caregivers.

Lonnie hopes to raise the final $700 he needs for the balloon expenses at 1 p.m. today at the Outback Steakhouse in Coeur d’Alene. The restaurant will sell 48 lunches to the public and donate all proceeds to the balloon effort.

Cut in Spokane edition

This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Flight schedule Serena’s Song will fly Saturday starting at 7 a.m. from Lake City High School, weather permitting. The balloon will fly from Angel Harbor on Lake Coeur d’Alene’s Driftwood Point on Sunday. If winds are too strong by the lake, the balloon will fly from Lake City High. On Monday. the balloon will fly at 7 a.m. from Kootenai Medical Center’s soccer field. Rides are free. People with disabilities will fly first. For more information, call 773-1521.