I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. It's motivational to see what others are capable of, regardless of their injury or disability. And I love learning about the opportunities available out there and being educated on the world of SCIs or wheelchairs.
First of all, Mom and I picked James up in DC to join us for the weekend, which made me really happy. Now that we're older, it isn't often that our whole family gets to do things together and I was excited that this was something that brought us all together (we actually even said that we'd love to make this a yearly tradition- even when I'm no longer in a wheelchair).
Friday night was a fundraiser dinner with a cash bar, raffles, silent auction items, and an introduction to the event. There was a musician that played and sang all evening as well and he was outstanding (and only 21!) And Jesse was there...and I was a bit star-struck, haha. Jesse Billauer was months away from becoming a professional surfer when an accident in the ocean paralyzed him- a C5/6 injury. (Which means he even has poor control of his arms and hands and is considered a quadriplegic). The accident was almost 20 years ago and about 15 years ago, he created the even Life Rolls On for all ages and all abilities to get people back in the water. He wanted everyone to feel "free" and that's really only something you can experience in the water without gravity. Jesse is a motivational speaker and also a gold medal adaptive surfer. (Surfing is going to be in the olympics in 2020 and hopefully Jesse will make it!)
Dad and Dusty got in late Friday night and we were all up early Saturday morning. It was extremely hot, but like me, everyone with a spinal cord injury was loving being warm and outside. My biggest fear had been how cold the water was going to be, but it was in the 80s and I LOVED IT. I got talking to a lot of different people of all ages, asking me questions about my injury and experiences. It's really interesting to hear everyone's stories and their take on different things. I met a girl who was 19 and in a car accident on Christmas Eve when she was home from college and we talked about going back to school and various things. I talked to a guy who went to KKI and surfing would be the first time he was back in the ocean since his diving accident over five years ago. A lady told me about her experience participating in stem cell research. I mean, the list goes on and on and it's crazy the stories I've heard.
Right after I got in line and finished registering/signing in, I went to the ramp to access the beach and saw someone I knew from home. What are the chances of that? Lillie is from Winchester and we led Wildlife together and went to YoungLife in high school. She recently started PT school and moved to VA Beach. Apparently, she had heard I was going to the event and asked some classmates about it, who told her they were already volunteering and asked her to tag along.
When we got to the beach, Dusty (not so quietly) said "so is this something where we can cheer for you and heckle or boo others?" That made this guy standing nearby laugh and come over to introduce himself. He was at the event because he represents a company called "Sand rider," who makes beach chairs. He actually helped design them because his father was in a motorcycle accident about ten years ago. the chairs were awesome. They were like the one I used in Ocean City, but a 100x better, because they were completely adjustable and could come apart/disassemble.
In order to surf, I go into one of those Sand Rider chairs and they pushed me down to the beach. There were a ton of different teams and each team wore the same color in order to be better organized. Of course, I was happy that I was on team pink. There were so many volunteers (like 200!!) that they had to turn people away. There were also over 100 surfers, which is the most they've had for the event in VA Beach. The volunteers asked each surfer what their capabilities were and how they wanted to get on the board, then asked how comfortable they were with the water and decided if someone should get on the back of the board with them. I got on my stomach and they took me out to deeper water, which they assured me really wasn't that deep because the people in the water were still able to stand. I told them I was pretty comfortable in the water, especially with the life vest on, but that I'd never done anything like that before. They said I didn't need anyone to ride on the board with me unless I wanted someone to, so I took the chance and said I'd go solo. They got me out farther, turned around and helped me catch a wave before they let go. I rode it all the way into the shore! It was surprisingly easy. All I had to do was hold on, lift my head up, and shift my weight from side to side. I didn't think it was difficult at all, but everyone kept talking about how great I was at it. (Maybe I have a hidden talent?) There was something about that feeling of being in the water and the thrill of trying something new...I asked if they'd take me out further and catch a bigger wave. The guys were like "there you go!" and "alright, we've got a daredevil." That was when I realized I'd felt like that before...it's similar to how I felt on that bridge, about to jump and bungee for the first time. Or when I was in that plane and the guy asked me if I was ready to "fly." It was freeing and exciting and honestly, so hard to describe. Words really just won't do it justice. I caught about five more waves, only fell once, and rode every single one all the way in to the shore.
After surfing, I saw the guy we had met when we first arrived (the guy with the beach chairs). He was with an older man in a wheelchair and I introduced myself, asking if this was his dad. He was and his name was Bill...Bill and I talked for a long time. About EVERYTHING. I actually need to send him an email as soon as I'm done with this post. He's part of SCI recreational activities and said they have applications where they give some people a beach chair for free, totally paid for. He said to mention that in the email so I can fill out some paperwork if I was serious about spending more time at the beach. He also does lobbying with Virginia on Capitol Hill. I had just looked into advocacy in that state of Virginia without much luck and then I meet this guy, who has all the right connections. I told him that I was interested in advocacy and that I want to get my MPH when I go back to school. Lastly, he gave me a lot of insight on wheelchairs. Basically, he said my chair sucks, haha. The cushion in really thick, making it hard for me to pull up under tables. The front wheels are really large and my back rest is way high than it needs to be, which might actually be hindering my ability to push myself and stressing some of those back muscles. He gave me both of his business cards, made me promise to send him an email, and got me in touch with an OT from VA beach who now own his own wheelchair repair shop. He also gave me his business card and promised to take care of me.
As if all this wasn't enough (and meeting/talking to Jesse the night before), a girl wheeled up which I was talking. I instantly knew who it was- Rachelle Chapman. I felt like such a stalker when she introduced herself and I said I already knew who she was. I follow her on social media and was also a little star struck by her appearance. In 2011, she was pushed into a pool by a friend at her bachelorette party. She has a high cervical injury and is quadriplegic. She has a two year old daughter, married to the man she was supposed to be with, plays wheelchair rugby, and promotes different wheelchair products, like a stroller that attaches to a wheelchair.
Talk about connections! Not only did I get to surf and learn about the world of adaptive sports, but I also met some really great people.
First of all, Mom and I picked James up in DC to join us for the weekend, which made me really happy. Now that we're older, it isn't often that our whole family gets to do things together and I was excited that this was something that brought us all together (we actually even said that we'd love to make this a yearly tradition- even when I'm no longer in a wheelchair).
Friday night was a fundraiser dinner with a cash bar, raffles, silent auction items, and an introduction to the event. There was a musician that played and sang all evening as well and he was outstanding (and only 21!) And Jesse was there...and I was a bit star-struck, haha. Jesse Billauer was months away from becoming a professional surfer when an accident in the ocean paralyzed him- a C5/6 injury. (Which means he even has poor control of his arms and hands and is considered a quadriplegic). The accident was almost 20 years ago and about 15 years ago, he created the even Life Rolls On for all ages and all abilities to get people back in the water. He wanted everyone to feel "free" and that's really only something you can experience in the water without gravity. Jesse is a motivational speaker and also a gold medal adaptive surfer. (Surfing is going to be in the olympics in 2020 and hopefully Jesse will make it!)
Dad and Dusty got in late Friday night and we were all up early Saturday morning. It was extremely hot, but like me, everyone with a spinal cord injury was loving being warm and outside. My biggest fear had been how cold the water was going to be, but it was in the 80s and I LOVED IT. I got talking to a lot of different people of all ages, asking me questions about my injury and experiences. It's really interesting to hear everyone's stories and their take on different things. I met a girl who was 19 and in a car accident on Christmas Eve when she was home from college and we talked about going back to school and various things. I talked to a guy who went to KKI and surfing would be the first time he was back in the ocean since his diving accident over five years ago. A lady told me about her experience participating in stem cell research. I mean, the list goes on and on and it's crazy the stories I've heard.
Right after I got in line and finished registering/signing in, I went to the ramp to access the beach and saw someone I knew from home. What are the chances of that? Lillie is from Winchester and we led Wildlife together and went to YoungLife in high school. She recently started PT school and moved to VA Beach. Apparently, she had heard I was going to the event and asked some classmates about it, who told her they were already volunteering and asked her to tag along.
When we got to the beach, Dusty (not so quietly) said "so is this something where we can cheer for you and heckle or boo others?" That made this guy standing nearby laugh and come over to introduce himself. He was at the event because he represents a company called "Sand rider," who makes beach chairs. He actually helped design them because his father was in a motorcycle accident about ten years ago. the chairs were awesome. They were like the one I used in Ocean City, but a 100x better, because they were completely adjustable and could come apart/disassemble.
In order to surf, I go into one of those Sand Rider chairs and they pushed me down to the beach. There were a ton of different teams and each team wore the same color in order to be better organized. Of course, I was happy that I was on team pink. There were so many volunteers (like 200!!) that they had to turn people away. There were also over 100 surfers, which is the most they've had for the event in VA Beach. The volunteers asked each surfer what their capabilities were and how they wanted to get on the board, then asked how comfortable they were with the water and decided if someone should get on the back of the board with them. I got on my stomach and they took me out to deeper water, which they assured me really wasn't that deep because the people in the water were still able to stand. I told them I was pretty comfortable in the water, especially with the life vest on, but that I'd never done anything like that before. They said I didn't need anyone to ride on the board with me unless I wanted someone to, so I took the chance and said I'd go solo. They got me out farther, turned around and helped me catch a wave before they let go. I rode it all the way into the shore! It was surprisingly easy. All I had to do was hold on, lift my head up, and shift my weight from side to side. I didn't think it was difficult at all, but everyone kept talking about how great I was at it. (Maybe I have a hidden talent?) There was something about that feeling of being in the water and the thrill of trying something new...I asked if they'd take me out further and catch a bigger wave. The guys were like "there you go!" and "alright, we've got a daredevil." That was when I realized I'd felt like that before...it's similar to how I felt on that bridge, about to jump and bungee for the first time. Or when I was in that plane and the guy asked me if I was ready to "fly." It was freeing and exciting and honestly, so hard to describe. Words really just won't do it justice. I caught about five more waves, only fell once, and rode every single one all the way in to the shore.
After surfing, I saw the guy we had met when we first arrived (the guy with the beach chairs). He was with an older man in a wheelchair and I introduced myself, asking if this was his dad. He was and his name was Bill...Bill and I talked for a long time. About EVERYTHING. I actually need to send him an email as soon as I'm done with this post. He's part of SCI recreational activities and said they have applications where they give some people a beach chair for free, totally paid for. He said to mention that in the email so I can fill out some paperwork if I was serious about spending more time at the beach. He also does lobbying with Virginia on Capitol Hill. I had just looked into advocacy in that state of Virginia without much luck and then I meet this guy, who has all the right connections. I told him that I was interested in advocacy and that I want to get my MPH when I go back to school. Lastly, he gave me a lot of insight on wheelchairs. Basically, he said my chair sucks, haha. The cushion in really thick, making it hard for me to pull up under tables. The front wheels are really large and my back rest is way high than it needs to be, which might actually be hindering my ability to push myself and stressing some of those back muscles. He gave me both of his business cards, made me promise to send him an email, and got me in touch with an OT from VA beach who now own his own wheelchair repair shop. He also gave me his business card and promised to take care of me.
As if all this wasn't enough (and meeting/talking to Jesse the night before), a girl wheeled up which I was talking. I instantly knew who it was- Rachelle Chapman. I felt like such a stalker when she introduced herself and I said I already knew who she was. I follow her on social media and was also a little star struck by her appearance. In 2011, she was pushed into a pool by a friend at her bachelorette party. She has a high cervical injury and is quadriplegic. She has a two year old daughter, married to the man she was supposed to be with, plays wheelchair rugby, and promotes different wheelchair products, like a stroller that attaches to a wheelchair.
Talk about connections! Not only did I get to surf and learn about the world of adaptive sports, but I also met some really great people.
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