PHOENIX — Echo Canyon at Camelback Mountain early Saturday morning was a place of remembrance for Tristan Wimmer. The former Marine, who lost his brother, a fellow Marine, to suicide, made it a point to pick this place to BASE jump in his brother’s honor.
“I am from Phoenix, and this was the right place for this,” says Wimmer.
After a year in the making, he finally was able to execute his ’22 Jumps’ campaign.
“22 BASE jumps in honor of the 22 veterans who commit suicide every day,” adds Wimmer.
BASE jumping is something his brother Kiernan taught Tristan to do before succumbing to suicide. Tristan says his brother Kiernan dealt with depression and anxiety for nearly a decade.
“It’s a way to honor him and bring awareness to the issue.”
Through BASE jumping at Echo Canyon, Tristan and two other military friends are pledging to raise $22,000 for the Cohen Veterans Bioscience, a research and therapy non-profit looking into mental health issues traumatic brain injuries.
“100% of the monies raised are used by the non-profit for this research. That’s why I selected this organization,” adds Wimmer.
If you would like to donate, click here.
