Dusty Payne Has Found The Silver Lining After His Near Death Wipeout

Exactly a month ago Dusty Payne was rushed to hospital after a nasty wipeout at backdoor knocked him unconscious.

He has since undergone two and a half weeks of treatment, including an operation and is now returning to Maui to rest up. Recently he reflected on his ordeal on Instagram in a heartfelt message that we think is well worth reading in full:

“It’s hard to even start this and put it all into words..Let me start by expressing my deepest gratitude and thanks to @photokeoki , @uluboi , @_mikey_redd, @tai_vandyke and @northshorelifeguardassociation for saving my life … without these God sent angels, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this today. I am overwhelmed, humbled and so grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, support, cards, and messages that have been sent from all over the world. All of the positive support from everyones messages has helped me get better everyday…I’m so grateful to be alive and finally back home on Maui to continue my healing and start rehabbing…
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This has been a surreal and life altering experience for me. I don’t remember the day of the accident or really any of the 2-1/2 weeks in ICU.. My head is still pretty scrambled, but I know I’m blessed to be here and just need time to heal. I know things could’ve turned out way different without the help that came to me as quickly as it did. I’m thankful for the ICU doctors and nurses at Queens and the surgeons who put me back together. Especially grateful for my family for being with me every step of the way.
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A lot of people have asked me how they can help/what they can do… my family and I have created a Go Fund Me account (link is in my bio) to which 100% of the proceeds will go directly to supporting the @northshorelifeguardassociation. More funds are needed for these guys to be able to offer more training in proper CPR, water extraction and first aid. These heroes put their lives at risk everyday for the publics safety, and unfortunately they don’t really get the support and recognition they deserve.
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Thank you again to everyone who played a role in saving my life. I can’t wait to get back in the water and back to doing what I love.”

Dusty’s search for the silver lining of his life threatening incident by raising awareness and funds for the lifeguards who saved his life is truly admirable. The current total on his GoFundMe page stands at $10 thousand dollars, and going by the levels of generosity already displayed we expect it will hit its 25k target no problem. The outpouring of support too, and general coming together of the global surf community when incidents like this occur is heartwarming to behold.

We wish Dusty a speedy recovery and are looking forward to seeing him shredding again soon.