When Ken Smith turned 80, he was able to cross jumping out of an airplane off his bucket list. But 10 years later, for his 90th birthday, Smith decided it was time to skydive again.

The first time the former WWII pilot took the plunge, it was just for fun. The second time, however, it was to raise awareness and money for Crohns disease a type of inflammatory bowel disease marked by persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, cramping and pain.

Raising awareness is important to Smith, as his daughter Joni Tessier , now 57, has struggled with Crohns since her mid-20s.

I couldnt justify another jump until we got the idea that we could make it worthwhile," Smith says. Tessier admits she thought her dad had lost it when he started talking about another jump. We kind of all went, Are you sure?" she recalls. "But he was determined. And, as her dad says, "Joni jumped on the idea and started doing the fundraising from her hospital bed."

The Sky's the Limit

The initial fundraising goal was set at $2,000, and the duo had surpassed this number by close to $400 by Aug. 10, 2014 the day Smith jumped from the plane piggyback-style with an instructor. The jump, which took place in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, went off without a hitch. I enjoyed [it] just as much the second time as I did the first, Smith says.

For Tessier, having something positive to focus on from her hospital bed helped improve her emotional health and outlook. My illness was no longer all we discussed," she says. "All of a sudden there was so much more to talk about.

Life With Crohn's Disease

Crohns and its symptoms can range from mild to severe, according to the Crohns & Colitis Foundation of America , but Tessiers case has been severe from the start.

I was in and out of the hospital and taking [the steroid] prednisone for 12 years, she says. I didnt recognize myself throughout my 30s because my face was swollen from the steroids .

At the time, she was a single mom with young children, and her parents were her only emotional support system. My mom and dad would move in and take over each time I had to go to the hospital, she says. (Tessiers mother died recently.)

Forty became a milestone birthday for Tessier. I took my health back, and it turned out to be an amazing decade, she says. I met my husband and got well.

Things took a turn for the worse though when she had a flare in November 2013, and Tessier has been in and out of the hospital pretty much ever since. One of the surgeries to treat Crohns revealed that she also had cancer, which further complicated her recovery.

I could moan and groan, but it doesnt do any good for my life and my health, she says.

Though she wasnt sure she'd be out of the hospital in time for the big jump, she did made it and so did her dad.

Now I have been home long enough to not only feel like we have it right this time, but that I am starting to feel better for the first time in months," she says. Dare I say that I think I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel?"