Wingwalker, Lifesaver

By ANN Contributor Aleta Vinas

(This is the second part of an in-depth look at one of airshow aviation's cutting-edge performers. Teresa Stokes is a pilot, artist, wingwalker and a life saver. Here's the rest of her story. -- ed.)

In 1988, her search for commissions led her to something unexpected –- love, wingwalking and Gene Soucy, not necessarily in that order. Shortly after Reno, Stokes and Soucy began to date.

She visited Soucy about a month later at his home in Dallas. There he proudly showed her his "Showcat" Bi-plane. The Cat had been modified from Grumman Ag Cat into Showcat. The six month renovation was done by Jim Swick at Swick Aircraft in McKinney (TX), Soucy's home field. In addition to a multitude of powerplant and fuselage modifications a wing rider stand was added.

Soucy had three acts planned for his Showcat, a "Hollywood style smoke and noise solo routine", the wingwalking act and a night pyrotechnic show called Fireflight. At the time, Stokes was not on the agenda as the wingwalker. She was on hand to see the reaction of the wingwalker Soucy asked to test the stand. The reaction made Stokes want to try "just for the fun of it." "I never saw anybody look so excited. That look on her face, I'll never forget. I though, okay, I gotta try it." Stokes was taken up and was hooked. "I just loved it right from the start."

Soucy already had his wingwalker and it wasn't Stokes. She didn't give it much thought until about six months later at the start of the 1989 airshow season. Soucy's wingwalker decided to do something else at the last minute, leaving Soucy hanging. Stokes made Soucy an offer he couldn't refuse "since I've done it before and I liked it, how about if I fill in until you find a real wingwalker." That was about sixteen years ago, Soucy's not looking very hard.

Stokes' first show in Phoenix (AZ) was more of a wing rider than wingwalker. "I was strapped on to the stand and didn't move." On the off chance that a brake locks or a tire blows on the Showcat, the top wing of a biplane is not the best place to be. "I wanted to learn to get down in my seat and put my seatbelt on before we landed." The pair practiced the move. Stokes thought "this isn't as bad as I thought, moving around. So, that's where the wingwalking happened in between the first and second shows."

There are only a handful of wingwalkers performing. "You can find people that want to wingwalk" says Stokes "but I think the rarity is in the pilot that has the ability and the apparatus on his plane to do that."

There are no wingwalking schools to attend. Soucy and Stokes work out their routine on the ground in little segments. Stokes counts off the paces and the moves. They go up and fly the segments, tweaking them when necessary. They then combine the segments into their routine. The duo generally sticks to a routine. Circumstances, like weather may dictate a change, for safety. In these cases an even more in-depth preflight briefing will take place.

On the dangers of wingwalking, Stokes has this to say. "People thing I'm going to slip and fall all the time. Instead you're going back against whatever's behind you. It feels like gravity is sideways to you. You never feel like you're going to slip and fall off. You feel like you're going to go backwards, so there's always something behind me."

The wind is her "invisible tether." During the aerobatic maneuvers, Stokes has a belt around her attached to the stand. The most difficult part is "climbing from the bottom wing, through the prop blast, up to the top wing."  Stokes' family is "not too crazy" about what she does but "they think it's fun for me." They're very right.

Most of Stokes' flying these days is straight and level, flying Soucy's twin Comanche to the shows. "I fly it more than Gene."

Stokes learned to fly the Showcat around 1993 and began flying the aircraft to some of their shows. "There are no dual controls so I just had to get in and go."

According to Stokes, "when I fly the Showcat, he'd (Soucy) start wingwalking." This scene has yet to happen. "He's just chicken." Stokes says teasingly. "He says he can't find a pilot he trusts and he knows all the best pilots in the world, they're his buddies."

One of Stokes' hobbies during her downtime from airshows involves her four vintage automobiles. She buys them "in pretty good shape, they're almost perfectly restored. Then I finish them off. I drive them all the time." Stokes proudly adds "I work on them myself, unless it's something major.

In May 2003, Stokes had a little bit more time away from her home and hobbies for a reason she'd hoped was still a few years off in the future. Teresa Stokes donated one of her kidneys to her boyfriend and flying partner, Gene Soucy.

Soucy had a congenital kidney disease, which caused his kidney's to slowly start to fail over several years time. Soucy lived a very healthy lifestyle, running and eating right. He felt no ill effects, unlike most who have this degenerative kidney disease. Though Soucy felt no ill effects, the doctors advised he would, in the future, need a transplant or dialysis.

Upon hearing the news, Stokes's immediate reply to Soucy was "Don't worry, if you need a kidney, you can have one of mine." The pair thought this would be down the road a way. In fall 2002, Soucy's doctor felt the transplant may be needed the following year. In December 2002 Soucy's blood test revealed that the future was here. The transplant or dialysis was needed now. Stokes knew the choice, "There was no question he's going to get a transplant. He's got a willing donor first of all. It never occurred to me I wouldn't be able to match. I never even once thought that, I don't know why. It just never occurred to me."

The doctor's reminded Stokes that Soucy's family would be tested for a donor. The donor must be in absolute perfect health, any flaws and the donation is off. Soucy's brother and sister were tested. There were minor flaws and they were turned down. Stokes passed every test perfectly.

Prior to the transplant in May 2003, Stokes began researching hospitals. Soucy and Stokes had the transplant performed at The University of Maryland Medical Center. The Division of Transplantation is a state of the art facility. Stokes felt that the university was "innovative" in their transplant procedures.

Stokes's kidney was removed laparoscopically. Only a small 2 1/2 inch incision was needed. It was then "super glued" closed, no stitches, no staples. She was up and walking the day after removal. She was home after the second day. This removal technique cuts down infections and complications to a fraction of what they were.

Stokes has no special diet to follow and no limitations on her activities. The doctors did, teasingly, bring one point to her attention; "don't become obese" and risk becoming diabetic. Kidney disease is a problem with diabetics. Stokes, like Soucy, practices a healthy lifestyle, so that should not be an issue.

Now, almost a year and a half later, Stokes says "I can't even realize I'd had anything done. I don't notice any difference in my body in any way at all. Nothing." Many people are born with one kidney and never even know it. During some of the discussions the doctors mentioned to Stokes that our kidney's only use about 1/6 of their capacity to do their job. Her remaining kidney has picked up the "slack" and is now working at 1/3 capacity. "I'm just not missing it" Stokes declares.

Soucy's stay was not much longer, about six days. Soucy's two kidneys were left in place and Stokes's kidney "was just 'plumbed' right in the front." The doctors said it started to work immediately. Soucy felt better the very next day after receiving Stokes "gift." Though tiny, since Stokes is petite, the kidney is working as advertised in Soucy's body and doing a fine job. Soucy and Stokes were both a bit slow moving for a few days after the surgeries. Stokes was back up to speed in about a month. Soucy was back to jogging in two months.

The University of Baltimore Medical Center is also up on using the latest immune therapy to avoid organ rejection. The Center uses minimal drugs with the least side effects and the highest success rates.

While the flying community has known about the transplant, Soucy and Stokes have only recently found time in their busy schedules to speak to the media. They want to share their impression of the whole transplant experience they had. "I just think that this is so great, the way they're doing this" promoted Stokes "That's why we want to talk about it, say ‘donation is not so hard anymore, it's easy'." Some hospitals still make a 10-12 inch incision in the donor's back, saw out one of your ribs, and then remove a kidney. Donors in these cases are in the hospital two to three times longer than the recipient. Stokes is eager to spread the word this is not how donations need to be done.

"Even if you don't want to be so brave as to have an operation, you can still save or help almost 50 lives if you sign your driver's license (as an organ donor) and tell your family." "That's a lot of families you can help." Some states also require an organ donor card. Check with your states Department of Motor Vehicles, Driver's License Services to be sure.

Stokes and Soucy are not out to change people's minds or their religious beliefs. Their goal is "to raise awareness to people that would consider it that never realized how "simple" it is. Or people that never thought of it before." Stokes hadn't realized how common kidney disease was or how many people are dying because there are not enough kidneys. Stokes feels "there are a lot more people that would do it (organ donation), that just aren't aware of it." "There's a lot of healthy kidneys that are being buried in the ground for no reason."

"To me, that's the best part of it, is to see him (Soucy) healthy and running around with all this energy. It's real nice."

FMI: www.genesoucy.com, www.umm.edu/transplant, www.shareyourlife.org