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Suburban Woman With ALS To Celebrate Birthday By Going Skydiving

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Katrina Shelby skydiving to celebrate her birthday (Credit: Javier Ortiz)

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. (CBS) -- On Wednesday, a Bourbonnais woman got the chance of a lifetime.

On Friday, Katrina Shelby turns 31 and to celebrate, she went skydiving on Wednesday.

Woman With ALS To Go Skydiving

"My health is getting pretty bad, pretty quick. And I wanted to do it while I was still able to."

She has Lou Gehrig's Disease. Just like her mother had.

"She got diagnosed when I was 15 with ALS, which is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's.

"It was me and her. I took care of her until I was 18. She died in January of '01. I found out July of 2010 that I had it."

She says she and her mother and both wanted to skydive together. That never happened.

Now - as her family watched - she finally lived her dream.

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Katrina Shelby and her husband Justin. ( Photo courtesy of Katrina Shelby.)

There's a benefit fund for Katrina Shelby's family at HomeStar Bank in Bourbonnais, IL.

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