24th Birthday Surprise — Arthritis
I spent my 24th birthday in the ER with my mother. The night before that, my roommates woke up to me crawling and moaning at 2am as I searched for my steroids and pain killers.
I was freshly graduated with a nice piece of paper claiming that I am a Master. I spent that summer teaching surf lessons and fridging as I always do. I had money in the bank and it was about time to start taking over the world. I was super jealous of my twin sister at the time. She had already traveled all around the world in search of waves. Now that I had hung up the cleats and finished school, it was time for me to follow in her footsteps. Until I woke up that summer day, unable to move.
This one day turned into the hardest 3 months in my life. I had a swollen knee. The next day my other knee swelled up. Next thing you know, my wrist swelled up. I had gnarly arthritis and I couldn’t do anything without pain. To add to it, I also ran a low fever for around 30 days as well.
I visited a woo-woo chiropractor, a woo-woo acupuncturist, normal doctors, internet doctors, and did blood work and still nothing definitively told me what the hell was going on.
Identity
I cried more than I’ve ever cried in my life during this period. It was agonizing. It was the first time I had ever been bed-ridden and there was no end in sight. I couldn’t stop thinking of the future. Questions like these ran rampant in my head: Was I just going to have to live with my parents forever? Would I never get to play catch with my son or daughter? Who would even love me in this state? Who am I without movement?
Who am I without movement? My whole life I prided myself upon my athletic abilities. It’s the highest compliment to me when someone calls me a “freak”. After baseball, I started going to parkour classes which were an absolute blast and provided a good outlet for me to express myself, scare myself, and have fun. Parkour and surfing seemed like a great combo. But now all the sudden, I couldn’t even walk to the bathroom!
My identity was based primarily off of my athleticism. My fun was based primarily off of my athleticism. I thought that that was the only reason people liked me. I had just signed with a couple talent agencies, so my potential work was based very much off my ability to move!
I lost 20 pounds during this whole ordeal. My legs were literally chicken legs. I had the fevers for about a month and it took me a few more months to fully recover.
Being crippled took me to some dark places. I wish I took a journal during this time. I wish I knew exactly what I was thinking. It’s hard to put myself back in that situation and find that space where my brain was. It was frustrating because I didn’t know what I had to offer the world, but then I got a phone call.
Hindsight is 20/20
My original plan was to head to Costa Rica for a few months and become a certified surf instructor. Apparently, this was not part of the plan. During my cripplehood, I got a call that some footage I shot with Adidas was going to be used in a Thanksgiving Day football commercial, and I was going to get paid a solid chunk o change. The adrenaline rush that went through my body on the day I got that call was unreal. I was getting paid for the months that I had been unable to work. What a magnificent blessing. This also had me hooked and made me realize just how great the opportunity to work in LA was. I had just recently started with the LA world, and this stoked a fire in me to keep pursuing it. It made me dream bigger. I ended up applying to Wilhelmina on a whim and signed with them. Within the first couple weeks, I booked a big commercial which sent me on that surf trip that I oh so wanted to go on.
I’m so lucky to have had my parents during this process. They took care of me, paid my health bills, and catered to my every need when I couldn’t move. I really couldn’t have gotten through this without them supporting me.
The sickness somewhat forced me to learn about diet and how food affects the body. I’ve continued my learning and am on a quest to find what is optimal for me.
All the time on the couch got me thinking about how the heck to make money. This time I had enabled me to do plenty of research about crypto and the stock market. It sparked my curiosity. I ended up making some investments that paid off well. If I did not have this time in a couch, I don’t think I would have made these decisions. I’m not sure if I would’ve taken interest in investing/speculating if it wasn’t for those long days on the couch.
So now I live my life one day at a time (I try). I know that I’m more than just an athlete. I’m a human. Relationships matter more than my physical abilities which will one day fade. I don’t know if or when the arthritis will hit again, but I don’t have time to worry about it. I’m going to continue to push my physical limits while staying in the best shape possible. I don’t take my health for granted anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to take physical risks.
I‘m also able to empathize much better with those who do not have their health.
Did we ever figure it out? Not quite, but maybe. We found a gene HLA-B27. It’s related to reactive arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. We have no clue what set it off and I sure as hell hope it doesn’t go off again.
One more thing. I got a lot of love and support from the friends and fam. That’s priceless. Thank you to everybody who wished me well and supported me during that rough time. And for the Eissmans who came and visited me on my crippled birthday. That meant a a lot.
Happy One Year
Today is also the one year anniversary of breaking my ankle. That sucked. I was with the boys heading to Laventinas. I was frothing cause I just booked a job. I was doing my normal little ally powerslides and had a freak accident and rolled my ankle inwards. I knew right away that I was broken. I rolled around in pain and was lucky to have friends nearby. The boys helped me hop back home, and there I was, back in rehab. Not again!!! There’s only one thing you want when you’re sick, health.
Rehab meant hours in the Newport/Mesa libraries for yours truly. A good buddy Mike Flores handed me a book during this time called “The Obstacle is the Way”. Just watch the vid. You don’t need the book.
I was super duper bummed obviously when this happened. I was living on the beach and I missed out on epic days of surf and shenanigans right in my backyard. It was torture. I would just post up on the balcony and watch people all day. I just got my legs back and now I had to go through this. What a big dummy. The book saved me though, as I switched my perspective and used the time to read. I’m grateful for this time now and hopefully the knowledge gained will compound into something great soon.
I caught probably around 50–60 waves today. About to go catch some more. So stoked to have my health and I hope we all make the most of our days when we have it.
