A 98-year-old man who could not walk up the stairs a year ago has become the world's oldest wing walker. Harry Heasman, a Guinness World Records holder, took to the skies above the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Cambridgeshire, on Saturday, May 23, just days before his 99th birthday.
Appearing on ITV's This Morning, Harry left presenters Sian Welby and Craig Doyle, along with viewers, in awe of his bravery. He stood on a 1940s biplane at an altitude of 1,000 metres for roughly six minutes to raise money for Lennox Children's Cancer Fund.
From Stairs to Skies
Presenter Craig Doyle highlighted the magnitude of Harry's achievement, saying: 'Let's bear in mind that a year ago you couldn't walk up stairs, now you have the power and the core in order to do that.' Harry credited his physiotherapist, Reef, and others for their support.
Care home manager Karolyn Sisto explained the preparation involved: 'We did everything we could to support Harry to do this in a safe kind of way. Every day we've been focusing on his nutrition, his fluid intake. I've been taking his blood pressure every day. We've been encouraging him to go up and down the stairs, which is something he couldn't do a year ago.'
Charity Motivation
Harry's charity work is deeply personal. He lost his wife of 60 years to cancer in 2013, and his 32-year-old stepson died from testicular cancer in 1982. He said: 'When you see old people, you think, well, they've had a life. But when young people die for no reason, there are children, babies being born with this terrible thing. They need all the help they can get.'
As of Sunday, more than £3,700 had been donated to the charity, which supports families dealing with childhood cancer.
Viewer Reactions
This Morning viewers took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise Harry. One called him 'quite possibly the greatest guest they've ever had on this show,' adding 'Thank you and God bless, sir!' Another said: 'What a lovely soul, Harry is, bless him.' A third wrote: 'Raising money for kids who have cancer, well done Harry, total legend.'
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.
