Many have claimed to teeter on the edge of life or death: metaphorically, dramatically, or, in Rylee Ramstack’s case, literally.

Rylee, a sophomore studying biology in the pre-med program, is an involved student at Drury University, running cross country and track, as well as a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. She is also an avid traveler and enjoys making memories around the world — despite her life being put at risk on a trip to Mexico.

When Rylee was only 10 years old, a relaxing beach activity in Cancun, Mexico, turned dangerous, causing Rylee to put all of her trust into strangers.

The Ramstack family chose parasailing as a fun excursion for their beach vacation. The family was taken onto a boat, sailed into the ocean, and attached by a rope and harness to a large parachute, kiting them high into the air.

Rylee recalls the incident: “Me, my sister, and my mom were in the parasail. We were the second to last group to go. We got into the air with the rope attached to the parasail, all the way extended.

The family was suspended in mid air, floating above the water, but did not have a safe way to get back down to the boat.

“Then, the [crew of the boat] started to wave at us, trying to get our attention to tell us [the rope] broke. They could not not reel us in to safety.”

The panic from the boat was apparent, but Rylee, her mom, and her sister, still in the parasail, were unable to hear the confusion below.

“We began to freak out, but still tried to have a good time. Then they tried to hand motion to us that they were cutting this rope.

“They cut it and the parasail started to fly backward and we slowly fell to the ocean. The parasail hit the water. The material it was made out of floated, then got heavy like wet clothing does, so it was sinking really fast, along with the 500 pound metal bar that you are attached to with a harness, which was still attached to me.”

Rylee explains the details of her moments of panic: “We were sinking. My mom was trying to hold up the bar while treading water to keep me from sinking.”

Rylee’s sister, Tyler, reminisces on the fear she, and her sister, experienced: “I was very scared. Rylee was more scared than me because the water started to pull her down due to the parachute being underwater.”

“As soon as we hit the water,” Rylee remembers, “about 25 workers of the parasailing company surrounded us with jet skis, and jumped into the water. They got my sister out first, then they tried to get me.

“My harness was stuck. So they got my mom out, and I was in the water with the bar and harness still attached to me. They sawed off the harness with scissors and got me out.”

This life-altering experience has not kept the Ramstacks from traveling. While none of the women involved have been parasailing since, they have all continued to travel. 

“I still love to travel,” Rylee explains. “I think that this experience is not only funny and kind of scary, but it’s also a memory from a vacation that I will never forget. The memories that you make on vacations are what it is all about.”

Rylee encourages others to not have fear: “Don’t let something like that stop you or deter you from doing something again because one bad experience does not mean that every experience will be bad.”

Haley Heavner, a fellow Drury University student and Rylee’s best friend, is thankful that Rylee is safe upon hearing the story of the accident. “Personally, I think she is wild and I do not agree with doing it again.”

Haley and Rylee spend every day together, and Haley knows who Rylee is better than anyone at Drury. Since knowing Rylee, Haley is able to give her perspective about how Rylee enjoys intense situations. “I am not surprised. This is a recurring thing, she likes to get close to death at least once a year.”

Wanderlust still exists within the Ramstack family. Although Rylee may choose to take Haley’s advice, or continue to live on the edge, she will have a traveling memory she will never forget.