Help Dustin to Recover from Surfing Accident

On Wednesday February 14, Dustin went out for a surf like he normally does. He crashed over a wave and landed on his head on his surfboard. The impact severely compressed his spine causing him to lose almost all movement in his arms. He was behind some rocks and alone in the water. He was extremely fortunate to able to get out of the water using his feet and what little arm movement he had.

Xrays in Santa Teresa were inconclusive and we had to rush him to San Jose for CT and MRI scans. They found that the ligaments of his neck were completely torn, the disc was ruptured, bone was fractured and he had a hematoma and blood clot compressing his spinal column and needed immediate, risky and extensive surgery. There is risk of damaging the nerve and him losing motor functions and sensation in his arms.

We received an estimate of $60,000 for the surgery alone at a private hospital. The other option was to begin the process again and use the public healthcare system we have, but this would involve waiting for days or weeks to be able to have a surgeon available if we could find the right person at all. This would put him at risk of losing motor functions in his arms plus he was in an extreme amount of pain and unable to move. We decided to stay with the amazing neurologist we had found and complete the surgery ASAP.

The surgery has just been completed, they decompressed the spine, removed some bones and put 8 screws and 2 rods in to stabilize his neck. The surgeons said it went great, and it is looking like he will have all his movement again. The happiness and relief we are feeling is unreal.

He has a long road ahead of him, with 6-12 months estimated for recovery. He will need extensive physical therapy that might require us to move to the city for an extended time. We will know more details on this as he begins healing. The burden of the bills has been something we have tried to put out of our minds for now to just get him past this surgery and on to recovery. The doctor has estimated around $100,000 for the hospital stay alone, not to mention the hotels, flights, therapies and follow-up, loss of work, etc.

We are extremely overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support we’ve received from friends and family from afar. I truly don’t know how we could have gotten this far without our village to support us. We love you all so much. I can’t believe that I’m here making a Gofundme. You never think this will happen to you, it is amazing how quickly your life can change in one second. I am so relieved that Dustin made it out of the water and back to us that day. We are truly blessed and grateful.