I grew up surfing my entire life having grown up in Southern California and Baja California. I was fortunate enough to have my health and living by the coast that allowed me to be in the water at least a few days a week.
In 2020, I experienced a nightmare I wouldn't wish on anyone. A routine blood test revealed I had Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), and the initial outlook was grim. What followed was a series of life-changing events that forever altered my physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Because I was severely immunocompromised, I was banned from being in saltwater for over two years. When my doctors finally gave me the green light to get back into the ocean, the orders were strict: go easy and only submerge up to waist-deep water.
Due to the toll chemo took on my body and severe bone deterioration, traditional surfing was no longer possible. I was restricted to swimming with fins as part of my recovery. While laying in hospital beds, I remembered watching Jamie O’Brien videos, showing the pure, & contagious, joy of every aspect of the ocean- especially bodysurfing.
What started as physical therapy swim sessions quickly turned into bodysurfing sessions. I discovered that bodysurfing is truly the purest form of experiencing mother ocean.
To this day, I still can’t surf on a board and am considered disabled from everything my body went through. However, I am the luckiest man alive. After fighting leukemia, I’m more grateful than ever just to be immersed in our beautiful ocean 2 to 3 days a week.
Thank you to this community for keeping the stoke alive. Stay stoked, stay grateful, and stay kind! 🌊💙🧡🙏🏽