On September 23, 2018 my life was forever changed when I learned all too clearly what the dangerous shore-break signs mean. I was boogie boarding with my nephew at Makapu’u, and I thought I caught an excellent wave when I got too far forward on my board & was pearled headfirst towards the beach. I recognized I needed to get my hands up to protect my head, but before I could I crashed headfirst onto the shore break.
I was knocked unconscious and drown that day. I was revived and transported to the emergency room. Following my accident, lying in the hospital bed alone and completely paralyzed I was living my worst nightmare and wondered how I could end everything when I couldn’t move a muscle.
My life was saved five times afterwards: first on the beach by my nephew and ocean safety lifeguards, next by the medical team that stabilized me and performed emergency surgery, in the ICU when my wife and daughter entered my hospital room, then by the amazing people at my rehab hospital, and finally by AccesSurf when I returned to Oahu only to find all the activities I once enjoyed were now out of reach.
During the intake at my rehab hospital I was fitted for a power chair as I had regained the slightest movement in my right hand. The staff just smiled when I told them I would walk out of that hospital. They were deciding if I was capable of using a joystick or if I would need a puff drive to move the wheelchair. After three months in physical therapy, I felt strong enough to take my first steps. A month later, using a forearm crutch, I was able to walk out the front doors before flying back to Honolulu. I later learned many of the nurses working with me never believed I would come off the ventilator, much less walk. I returned to walk through the ICU at Queens Hospital on the one year anniversary of my accident to say thank you to the doctors and nurses that saved my life that first week when I wasn’t sure if I wanted to live or die.
After six years, I have often thought about the exact cause of my accident. I have come to the conclusion that the most significant contributing factor is gravity. Accidents happen, and being accidents they are out of our control. How we respond IS in our control. Part of the way I cope is to give time & money to help AccesSurf carry out its mission, a mission that helped save my life. I am asking you to help me do that.
- You are needed
- You are appreciated
- Your help makes a difference
Mahalo,
Jon
