Father jumps rope across the country to honor late son
HOLMES COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Grief can make people do crazy things, and the Rosenbergers are no strangers to grief after losing their son, Drew.
“Our son committed suicide in October of 2020, and it caught us totally by surprise, he had been diagnosed with bipolar illness,” Daryl Rosenberger said.
So Rosenberger decided to use his pain to inspire others by jumping rope from San Diego, California to Jacksonville, making a stop in Ponce de Leon on Tuesday.
Rosenberger has been jumping rope down roads like Highway 90 since October and he’s now on his seventh pair of tennis shoes, but he said it’s all been worth it.
“It’s been physically, emotionally, spiritually challenging, but that’s good,” he said. “I wanted all of those components to get me to the other side.”
However, he’s not travelling alone. His wife, Diane and their pups Dixie and Mango are on this journey with him.
‘When he came to me last summer and said he had this crazy idea to jump rope and walk across the United States I thought it was great and I knew he could do it and so I’m real proud of him,” Rosenberger’s wife Diane said.
In the end, Rosenberger said he wants to encourage others to keep on keeping on.
“We’re hoping to let people know that there is hope and tomorrow is another day, the storm will pass,” Rosenberger said.
“Also just to honor Drew,” Diane said. “We didn’t want him to die in vain, so it’s a lot to honor Drew.”
He hopes to continue inspiring others one jump at a time.
Rosenberger plans to be at his final destination of Jacksonville on May 7, and asks those who can to come out and cheer him on.
To donate or learn more about Rosenberger’s organization ‘Jumping for Drew and You,’ visit: https://www.jumpingfordrewandyoufoundation.org/.
To follow along with his journey, follow his social media at: https://www.facebook.com/jumpingfordrewandyoufoundation/; https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?next=/jumpingfordrewandyou/; https://www.tiktok.com/discover/Jumping-for-drew-and-you.
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