Minnesota Vikings safety, Andrew Sendejo, channeled his inner ninja this past month as he rappelled 38 stories down the face of a Dallas’ high-rise dressed as Raphael of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to help raise money for the Make-A-Wish “Over the Edge” charity event.
“You get to kind of challenge yourself to face something that’s pretty scary, to lean off the edge of a building at 40 stories high, but at the same time, you’re helping someone else out, so it’s like a two-for-one special,” Sendejo told Vikings.com’s Craig Peters. “You’re kind of overcoming something for yourself and helping someone else in need to try to help them overcome something that they’re going through, too.”
.@Asendejo rappelled 38 stories to raise money for @makeawishcstx.
MORE: https://t.co/jvomBgf4Mv pic.twitter.com/1jh8RARh2S
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 29, 2016
Sendejo’s past experience with martial arts dates back to when he was five. He was quick to pick up the technique, though admittedly scared at first.
“The first thing you do is put the balls of your feet on the edge, and your heels are off. They didn’t tell me if I fell over I would be secure, so I was still holding on. They said you’re good to go, and the first thing you do is lean back so you’re parallel to the ground, and they make you take both your hands off. The scariest thing you can do is be up top with no hands.
Sendejo continues, “After that, it’s very easy. They had a lever that you could pull onto let the rope through and you just go all the way down. I would take an occasional break and look around, enjoy the view, so it was cool.”
The event was a major success and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Sendejo joined teammate Adrian Peterson as a contributor to the foundation last fall after Peterson helped Make-A-Wish for Hunter Leavitt who was suffering from Cystic Fibrosis.
