A honeymoon in Hawaii for an Atlanta man took a devastating turn when he suffered a rare spinal cord injury while surfing, resulting in paralysis from the waist down. Brendan Town was enjoying a two-week honeymoon with his wife, Cho Pak, when the unfortunate incident happened during a surfing lesson on September 7. Initially, Town thought he had strained a muscle and continued surfing, but soon his legs began to lose sensation. Medical professionals later diagnosed him with surfer’s myelopathy, a non-traumatic spinal cord injury that leads to paralysis below the waist.
Surfer’s myelopathy is an extremely uncommon condition. It happens when the back is hyperextended, causing a blood vessel that supplies the spinal cord to bend, leading to oxygen deprivation. Town’s wife set up a GoFundMe page to help cover his medical expenses, explaining that the symptoms began as a mild discomfort in his lower back, akin to a pinched nerve, but quickly escalated to numbness and paralysis in the lower half of his body.
Following an angiogram and a lumbar drain procedure to reduce swelling, Town was airlifted to Queen’s Hospital. There, he received treatment from a team of experienced neurosurgeons. While surfer’s myelopathy can result in permanent paralysis, there have been instances where patients have regained the ability to walk within weeks or months.
Town remains optimistic about his recovery and has already begun occupational and physical therapy. He has managed to move himself into a wheelchair and is focusing on improving his core balance and general care. His immediate goal is to be fit enough to endure the long flight back home by the end of the week. Once home, he plans to continue inpatient physical therapy to speed up his healing process and regain his ability to walk.
Town’s journey to recovery serves as a testament to the resilience and determination of individuals facing such challenges. His story is a stark reminder of the unpredictability of life and the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity.