Meet Dave Clark: Stroke Survivor
My name is Dave Clark, a successful caterer and businessman. I had a stroke approximately 1 year ago and was left with partial paralysis on my right side. That is only the tip of the iceberg.
Rewind 45 years. I said it many times, “I wanted to do something in the ocean…”Scuba diving was a relatively restricted sport in the early and mid-seventies. Life just took off…Marriage, kids, bills and so on. The dream of diving and oceanography faded well into the background.
Out of a problem arose a lifetime opportunity when I encountered Diveheart. A friend of mine that I have known all of those 45 years, who is a scuba instructor and in training with Scuba Access For Everyone (S.A.F.E.) to become a Diveheart Instructor, started me in a direction I never thought possible. As soon as my face went underwater with SCUBA gear, I was ecstatic. I had the needed assistance from a Diveheart instructor and an assistant. I was S.A.F.E. Miraculously, my body attempted to perform movements on my paralyzed side. I never imagined I could dive, I was very wrong. Not only is it a dream come true but it's proving to be therapeutic in many was as well.
My goal is to be certified as a Diveheart diver in Roatan, Honduras along with others in a similar circumstance. It will be a trip of a lifetime where I get to be in a gravity-free environment with trained buddies, see the wonders of our oceans and reap the benefits of scuba.
I will be upfront! As a result of my stroke, I was unable to continue my catering business, lost my apartment and could no longer drive. I live with my son and his family and receive a disability payment.
The trip to Roatan will cost 2200.00$. I am humbly asking for your support to help me succeed in this endeavor.
If you are interested in what this means to be an adaptive diver, please go to Amazon Prime TV and watch the Documentary called “Adapting to Dive” by David Marsh and collaboration with non-profit Diveheart. Also in the documentary are the founders of S.A.F.E. a Northwest non-profit dedicated to getting people with disabilities underwater.
My intention is to support others in their quest after something like a stroke. There are options. Just the short time learning the basics in the pool has given me freedom from the rest of the world. It also fulfills a lifelong dream.
All donations over the 2200.00 will go to Scuba Access For Everyone scholarship program to help others in the program.
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