Surfer's Message of Hope

"I thought I'd rather be dead than paralyzed and never surf again," said Jesse Billauer, a paralyzed proferssional surfer. He was wrong.

Billauer spoke in the Campus Theater Wednesday. His speech was the first in a series entitled: "Overcoming Adversity," put on by the Cadena Transfer Center and the Disability Support Services.

At the start of his speech, Billauer asked the audience to close their eyes and imagine all their dreams, and then asked that they not forget what they have in mind for themselves as he began his talk.

Billauer went on to discuss his own dreams, along with three major tragedies in his life.

"I dreamed of becoming a pro-surfer," Billauer said, "being in that big feature film, graduating from college, getting married and having kids."

The first tragedy was a car accident that ejected him from his car onto Pacific Coast Highway when he was 16 years old. Although he escaped the incident with minor injuries, he had worries about his career.

The second tragedy was a surfing accident that resulted in his paralysis. Hit by a wave from behind, Billauer fell head first into a sandbar.

"My whole body went tingly and numb and my dreams flashed before my eyes," Billauer said.

The force of the water in the surfing accident fractured six vertebrae in his back and doctors told him he would never walk again.

The third tragedy came one month later when Billauer's physical therapist suggested that he play wheelchair rugby. The attempt ended badly when his wheelchair flipped backward and his head hit concrete. Once again his whole body went tingly and numb.

After suffering from severe headaches following the incident, Billauer underwent a CAT scan, which revealed hemorrhaging in his brain. Doctors had to insert filters in his lungs to avoid a fatal blood clot.

"At any moment, things can change," said Billauer, in reference to the tragedies in his life.

Billauer has never let paralysis get him down, and tries to make the best of his situation.

"I try to go surfing a couple times a month," he said. Billauer has a custom surfboard that he lays down on and steers with his elbows.

"I have accomplished all my dreams," Billauer said. "I became a pro-surfer, I surf every year in the Huntington U.S. Open, I've made that feature film, I was in "Step Into Liquid," I graduated from San Diego State University with a Communications Degree and I'm looking to get married and have little Jesses walking around, except their names won't be Jesse."

Billauer has also started a charity, Life Rolls On. His charity plans events to raise money for spinal cord injury research. Life Rolls On puts on They Will Surf Again, an event that takes 20 to 25 disabled people surfing. Last year Life Rolls On raised $250,000.

"Life is a lot more than walking around," Billauer said. "I am lucky because I can still accomplish my dreams. I've gone skydiving, I swam with big great white sharks, I've been skiing and snowboarding and I went surfing in Hawaii last week for five days straight."