It was another beautiful day in paradise. The sun was shining, waves breaking perfectly and the surfboards were all lined up ready for the next group of students. Immediately my eye caught the first two people stepping
out of the van. A father and son with the classical matching ABC Store Aloha shirts. I introduced myself to Larry and Aaron and things went on
as normal. It was Aaron's first
time surfing but Larry had a surfing stint in his life about 20 years ago so he needed a refresher course. I assured him it would be like riding a bike and he'd be on the waves in no time. Both were
ecstatic just to be outdoors in a swimsuit being that they had just recently made the move from the blistering cold of Alaska. Getting onto a surfboard was one of the first things on their to do list. After some small talk the class began and we went through the standard safety, instruction, and on beach practice. We always stress that you MUST listen to your body and take a break if you feel overexerted at any point. Little did we know that today was going to be a prime example of what can happen when the body's warning signs are not heeded.
Aaron had a huge smile on his face and was up and riding in no time. At about 12 years old he had plenty of energy to go around and caught a number of waves right off the bat. He was with the group for the most part and was getting pointers from all of the instructors including myself. Larry on the other hand needed no help and was of
f on his own feeling like he was on Cloud Nine. Rather than hang in our designated area he
was all over the place catching waves left and right like he had never taken a
20 year hiatus from surfing. I remember looking up every couple minutes and there he was paddling on his own for another wave hopping up and riding it in with no problem at all. About an hour had gone by in the class and by this time Aaron had his fill of waves and was having fun building sand castles on the beach. It was this point where I
looked up and saw Larry hanging out by himself about 100
yards away from anyone looking like he was just taking everything in. Something inside of me told me to paddle out just to go check up and see how he was feeling as he had been catching waves non stop since the moment class had started. I paddled up to him, sat on my board and asked, "Hey Larry, how are ya feeling?". He replied, "Ahh I'm feeling great." It was at this point I had been looking at the group but when I returned my focus to Larry I had noticed he had slumped off his board into the water. Initially it didn't look like anything out of the norm. Sometimes us surfers will just fall off of our boards to get wet and take a breather in the water. About 5 seconds later and after calling his name repeatedly I realized that there was nothing normal about what had just happened. Larry had had a massive heart attack and was face up stiff as a board and staring straight up into the air as if his eyes were screaming, "Help me!". I immediately dove off of my board and put my arms underneath him to keep him from submerging underwater and to keep his head above the breakers. I repeatedly called his name but there was no response whatsoever. About 30 seconds went by and Noah, Kolu, and Joe were there to assist. We immediately got Larry up onto a surfboard and shuttled him into shore as quickly as possible.
So many thoughts were racing through my mind at this point. I felt as if I was watching the whole situation from the outside. "Is this really happening right now?" I thought to myself. I have seen the situation so many times on TV and heard stories at the beach from all of our firefighters but was it really happening to us at our beach? There was no time to sit back and think about things though. We all took immediate action and began compressions on the beach while we awaited the ambulance already on the way thanks to the quick actions of Sean who quickly dialed 911 after seeing the commotion in the water. The first aid kit was out, we had the oxygen mask going and we were doing everything possible to keep Larry with us. As I let the professionals do what they do best I was at a loss for words and could only think of how terrified his son must have been sitting under the tent with the other guests who were great in keeping him company. I tried to keep my composure and go about the rest of the day with the other guests but there was still one sentence that tore me apart. "I wish I never asked my Dad to come surfing." There were so many implications to that one sentence. Surfing is supposed to be one of the greater experiences in lives of our customers but here we were with a child on the verge of losing his father after just 3 days in a new home and in some way I couldn't help but feel responsible. That was not an option though. Larry was going to make it in my mind no matter what. About 20 minutes had gone by with the paramedics continuing the compressions as well as initiating several shocks via the AED or Automated External Defibrillator. Larry did have a faint pulse along with some struggling breaths but was nowhere near conscious by the time the Paramedics whisked him away to the nearest hospital. The looks and reactions of the rescue workers were not exactly the most optimistic and it was hard to feel good about Larry's chances.
Later that day Sean and I made it over to the Hospital to get some more information and also to see how Aaron was holding up. We turned the corner to see Aaron with a smile on his face yelling, "My Dad's gonna be okay!" Initially it was a relief to hear that but after further discussion with the doctors we knew that Larry was not out of the woods yet. Aaron on the other hand remained unbelievably optimistic the entire time. Even cracking jokes and talking about football. He knew that his Dad was going to pull through and that was the only option to him. We learned that Larry had to be transported to another hospital that specialized in heart problems so we exchanged information with the doctors and saw Aaron to the ambulance. Emotions were all over the place at this point with Aaron hanging out of the
window waving and smiling to us still suited up in his Hawaiian Fire rashguard. Sean and I feared the worst but could do nothing but hope for the best at that point.
Two weeks had gone by and it was hard to just go about daily life wondering what was going to happen to Larry and his son. I heard bits of information here and there and tried to accept the magnitude of what had just occurred. It was discovered that Larry had a massive heart attack while in the water and it was something that was overdue and bound to occur sooner or later. The doctors were still not certain what was going to happen but cleared him for open heart surgery which still meant there was a chance. As long as there is a chance I am always one to believe. Despite the feedback from most doctors which gave him slim and none there was something that told me he was going to make it. Days went by after the surgery and still there was no word except that the surgery was a success but he still remained unconscious with little chance of pulling through.
I had to see for myself. I couldn't take just getting reports from other people and I felt that I owed it to Larry to come visit him regardless of his condition. One random day after closing down the beach, Joe and I decided that enough time had passed and we must make it to the hospital without letting another day go by. We couldn't have had any better timing. Joe and I made it to the hospital and headed directly for Larry's room not knowing what to expect. We arrived to see Larry's bed empty and our hearts dropped to the floor. Just as we were both about to accept what we thought was the truth, Joe glanced down the hall and his eyes opened wide as saucers. "Is...is that Larry?!?" he said. To my disbelief there was Larry, cane in hand and walking down the hall looking like a champ. We both had to rub our eyes to make sure we weren't seeing things but there was Larry in the flesh. This was probably one of the most unbelievable and beautiful sights either of us had ever seen. I had expected him to recognize us immediately and throw his arms out at first glance but he simply looked at us with an expressionless face and said, "Hey how you guys doing?"
It took a second to figure it out but apparently he had lost all memory of the day that he surfed due to the trauma of the incident. We went on to tell him our names and explained that we helped pull him out of the water. It was amazing how he seemed to be completely unaltered by the incident save the face that he lost about 50lbs. Both Joe and I were convinced that he was still fighting but neither of us expected to see him strolling around the halls with nothing but some sore ribs and a cane to show for it. He went on to tell us that he went through a Quadruple bypass surgery and that he remained unconscious until the day before we had arrived to visit him. He also told us that his boy Aaron had gone to his sisters house in Wisconsin and had started school and was doing just fine. It turns out that he and his boy had been in Hawaii for only three days and they had just made the move from Alaska. They were both in the process finding a place to live and a school for Aaron when Larry asked, "What do you think about surfing Aaron?" Of course Aaron wanted to go surf so Larry came upon Hawaiian Fire Surf School and chose to take some lessons with us. Little did he know that was a choice that ultimately saved his life. Rather than driving a car or walking in the middle of the street he was surrounded by firefighters when this happened and he couldn't have been in a better situation to maximize his chances of survival.
After listening to him tell his story it was time for Larry to hear what really happened to him for the first time. Until we had arrived there were only bits and pieces that the doctors and nurses could put together and nobody really knew the whole story. We stood in the hall and described exactly what happened to him while the nurses and doctors gathered behind us with their hands on their hearts and tears in their eyes. It must have been emotionally difficult to listen to the story of how you almost died while looking at two of the faces responsible for your survival so I do not blame him for remaining relatively calm and collected giving the occasional nod and smile. The hospital staff could not believe the story and even said themselves that Larry was in fact a Miracle. With so much said Joe and and I took a picture with Larry exchanged contact information and walked away from that hospital with the best feeling in the world. Someone had cheated death and we were partially the reason why he would get to have a another chance to see his boy. The following day Larry walked himself out of that hospital and onto a plane to start another life in Wisconsin with his family. I am currently still in touch with Larry and Aaron and they will continue to be a part of the Hawaiian Fire Ohana forever.
I hope that some of you can take something from this story. I shared it with everyone not to create fear of death (especially not fear of surfing) but to help show how beautiful and precious life really is. One day Larry was starting a
new life without a care in the world and the next he was fighting for his life in a hospital. In these hard economic times the Holiday season may not be the gift giving extravaganza that it has always been but that is actually a good thing. We need not stress about a shopping deadline or what we are going to buy for the people we love. Rather we need to cherish the gift that we are given every time we take a breath. The gift of life. These times as well as all times are when we simply need to love ourselves, our friends and especially our family. It is very easy to become entranced and view the world with a negative outlook but when you find yourself feeling down, overwhelmed, stressed, sad or just plain angry, think of Larry. Know that no matter how bad things may seem, good things can and do happen in this world. If you are reading this then step back for a second, take a br
eath and thank your lucky stars that you have the ability to take that breath. Life is a beautiful thing no matter how ugly it may get and we are all guilty of taking it for granted at some point. No matter what happens as long as you are still alive, LIFE IS GOOD!
Finally I would like to take a moment to thank each and every one of the instructors that have been a part of the Hawaiian Fire team. Yes we do have a great beach to teach at but we would be nothing without the love, energy and dedication of each one of our instructors. It is because of you guys that we are still here as the one of the safest and best surf schools in the World. Joe, Noah, Sean, Kolu, Ashley, a special Mahalo to you guys for doing exactly what needed to be done on that day. Because of you guys someone has another chance at life and I couldn't be any prouder of how we all handled that situation. There is a reason why we are owned and operated by fire fighters. Its not just
a gimmick to sell a surf lesson. It is the entire basis of our company. To provide the safest possible experience for anyone that visits Hawaii and wishes to enjoy the sport of kings. Mele Kalikimaka, Happy Holiday, Aloha and Mahalo from the entire Hawaiian Fire Crew. Smile, love one another and enjoy life!
happen and there are great things left in this world. For this reason I want to make this Aloha Monday a special one and share a story that may help bring some perspective back to anyone that feels down or stressed during these times. I know I am guilty of letting my situations get the best of me at times and when that happens I think of Larry and it always helps bring me back down to earth a bit. This is Larry's Story and there is no better way to describe it than A Miracle. 
