Learning to surf is not easy if you are able bodied and a strong swimmer. How about when you are paralyzed, wheelchair bound and 15 years old. Patrick Ivison is a truly inspirational young man who refuses to let his disabilities get in the way. He is a man on a mission and I wish him the best of luck in his quest to walk again. This film outlines his dream.
I hope you enjoy this video – Please take a moment to comment afterwards and give your thoughts on how we can encourage disabled children into sports and help them live full, active and independent lives ?
For more information on Patrick Ivison and to follow his progress in overcoming his disability and learning to walk again after being paralyzed please visit his website helppatrickwalk.org
Credits for the images used in this movie about disabled sports fanatic Patrick Ivison belong to him.
Please support CrazyJourneys.com by taking a moment to comment on this inspirational disabled child and also tweet or share it. Help Luke to spread the word. The buttons are below:
I have been lucky to work with Patrick for about 6 years, intensively for 3. I met him at an event for disabled surfers up in the L.A. area and found out A. he lived in my area and B. he only surfed about 4-5 times a YEAR! Needless to say when I offered to take him out whenever possible he took me up on the offer.
It’s been an amazing journey taking him surfing. He doesn’t back off at all, he’s charging some of the best waves that our area has to offer. I’ve designed some of his boards to help him surf these challenging waves and take his surfing to the next level. If you look at his face in larger waves, he’s focused and intense.
I have also worked hard to help Patrick obtain sponsors to further his campaign to rip. My friends at DaKine, Bern Unlimited, Murphy Shapes, …Lost, Lok Box fins, Go Pro Cameras, Moonlight Glass, Stay Covered, and Crow Haley have all stepped up to help out with gear.
A ton of surfers, a list that would fill this page have stepped up to help. Patrick’s friends on the Scripps Ranch Surf Team, volunteers from our organization-the Adaptive Surfing Foundation, my staff and clients from Happy Barrels Surf Instruction, and countless friends and colleagues-Tim Meier, Esther Woo, Peter Kim, and the list is too long and I apologize to all that I’ve left out.
The point of all this? Why do I do this? His family works so hard to fundraise to cover the expenses of Project Walk ($3,000 US every month!), he couldn’t afford to surf, so we make it possible. Furthermore, I have the training, the equipment, the manpower and the connections-it would be a shame not to share to share it.
Please check out his website http://www.HelpPatrickWalk.org to check out his story.
All the best.
Robbie Nelson, Founder and CEO
Happy Barrels Surf Instruction
ProSurf Coaches
The Adaptive Surfing Foundation
Encinitas, CA
http://www.happybarrelssurfschool.com/
[...] first fundraiser was for Patrick, and as fate would have it, they both surfed! So, it seemed like fate that this little surFUR girls [...]