There’s facing fear – and then there’s rappelling 29 storeys.

I am petrified of heights, yet found myself at the top of the Sutton Place Hotel for the Easter Seals Drop Zone in downtown Edmonton Tuesday morning.

And to my surprise – I actually did it.

I photographed the event last year for Metro, and being harnessed in at the top of the hotel to simply snap pictures was scary enough.

It was absolutely terrifying to stand on the edge of a building, and trust a harness and rope as I descended about 270 feet.

I wasn’t the quickest of rappellers; in fact, I took quite a while to get to the ground. The rope was heavy, it was windy and I desperately wanted to keep my feet on the wall – which turned out to be harder to do than I thought it would.

But the important thing was that I did it.

More importantly, I was able to raise about $2,000 for Alberta Easter Seals.

In the end, I’m fairly certain I’m still afraid of heights – yet I feel a little bit braver.

The cause

• Easter Seals has been serving and making a difference in the lives of Albertans with disabilities and special needs since 1951.
• All of the proceeds raised through the Edmonton event, which featured about 60 rappellers, will stay in Alberta.