FIRST SURF AFTER CANCER

The first surf back after going through eight months of treatment for leukemia is something I’ll never forget. Throughout my whole treatment the thought of getting back in the water and back on my board was one of my biggest drives to get through it all. I had finally finished up my journey living in Auckland and had just moved back to Whangamata days before my 25th birthday and what would be my first surf back. I knew there was a little East Coast swell on the way predicated to hit exactly on my birthday and my froth levels were at an all-time high, knowing that the bar would have some waves and that my first surf back would be on my birthday on 'The Bar'. All my close friends from Whanga and the surfing community were coming down to celebrate with me and we had planned to all go out on 'The Bar' together for my first surf back as it happened to fall on a Saturday and of course everyone would have finished work for the week and be able to come. I was seriously like a grom getting his first new board and had my surfboard and wetsuit all ready to go days before, with new wax job and all. I woke up on Friday morning and I could hear waves breaking from our house so I ran down to the end of the street to check the bar and there were little waist high waves peeling along the bar with no one out on a perfect sunny morning and I frothed out, there was no way I could handle waiting another day to have the ideal first surf back with all my best mates on my birthday. That wasn't meant to be and as it happened it couldn't have been any more perfect in the end. I paddled out with only my partner Casey on the beach watching, who had been by my side through every step of the way throughout it all and I surfed perfect little waves on Whanga Bar all by myself for an hour, I had to pinch myself it was all so surreal. My first wave I got up and just stood there, the feeling of just going along the green wave was one of the highest highs I had felt in over eight months that I didn't even need to start turning. By the end of the surf I was wiggling little half turns off down the line, and I came in with an indescribable feeling of happiness from the feeling of surfing and knowing that I would still be able to surf after everything I had been through.