Patient Soars on “Gift of a Day”

Something inside of James Mullins has always been tempted by the extreme. An avid thrill-seeker, the West Virginia native and Veteran has even been skydiving to quench his thirst for exhilaration. At age 84, the hospice patient’s desire to break from the mundane is as strong as ever. When Crossroads Hospice gave Mullins the chance to spend his “Gift of a Day” however he wanted, he wasn’t going to play it safe. He wanted to capture that feeling of the unknown once again.

Along with his girlfriend Amy, Mullins took a ride in a hot air balloon, surveying the patchwork landscape of Olathe, Kansas from thousands of feet up. The couple felt the freedom of flight, untethered to the world below and, for at least a moment, the concerns of the earthbound. For Mullins, this gift was a flight to remember.