Surfing and smiling again, despite disability

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH -- It had been a long time since Will Archibald tasted saltwater - much less had it go up his nose and in his eyes, and submerge his head.

All that salt put a big grin on his face Saturday, when he had a rare chance to surf the 4- to 6-foot waves crashing onto the northern stretch of Wrightsville Beach.

Archibald, 28, has been paralyzed from the chest down since a motorcycle accident in May 2009 in Cape Cod, Mass.

He got a chance to ride the waves as part of a daylong event organized by Life Rolls On, a California-based nonprofit. The group helps people with spinal cord injuries and other severe physical limitations by reconnecting them with extreme sports such as surfing and other activities that might seem out of reach.

A dozen volunteers helped Archibald lie on a green surfboard. They stood and swam nearby, ready to steady him or pull him out of the water when his ride was over.

Using his upper-arm strength, he gripped the board and wove through the cresting surf.

Archibald managed to snag five waves before heading back to relax on the sand. A special beach wheelchair provided by Life Rolls On, with large plastic wheels designed to navigate the shifting sand, helped with his transport.

"It was awesome," he said.

Archibald had not known what to expect when he headed down to the beach with his sister and brother-in-law, Emily and Ty Johnson of Morrisville. Archibald moved from Massachusetts to live with them last year.

What he found was a gorgeous day and a laid-back atmosphere typical of most any surfing event.

Archibald was one of 35 surfers with varying degrees of handicaps who braved the waves. Some had spinal cord injuries, and others were recovering from or adjusting to different types of spinal conditions. Two hundred volunteers showed up at the beach to help.

Life Rolls On was founded by California surfer Jesse Billauer, who was paralyzed as a teenager in a 1996 surfing accident. The group stages a half-dozen "They Can Surf Again" events each year on the East Coast and in California and Texas.

At Wrightsville, volunteers were ready to help the surfers in the water. Special surfboards allowed them to get on top of the waves despite their physical limitations.

The point was to get reactions like the one Archibald had, said Kevin Murphy, a co-founder of the Wrightsville-based Indo Jax Surfing School.

Saturday was the second time Murphy has organized a "They Can Surf Again." From his surf school he spun off a nonprofit group, Ocean's Cure. He holds similar events throughout the year for youth groups, visually impaired surfers, and American troops wounded in combat.

For Archibald, Saturday was the first time he'd been on the water since his motorcycle accident. Formerly an avid skateboarder and snowboarder, he is still adjusting to life with paralysis.

It hasn't been easy, but Archibald said he has come to terms with his new life. Getting to surf felt good, and he plans to return for next year's event.

"They need one up North," Archibald said.

Penny Jarman came to Wrightsville Beach on Saturday with her husband, Joe. He was 41 in 2007 when a heart attack robbed his brain of oxygen. It left him with little mobility in his limbs and with speech and communication issues that require him to live in a rehabilitation home with mostly elderly residents.

"He looks better just being out here," Penny Jarman said as her husband sat beneath a beach umbrella in a specialized chair.

Their son Joe Jr., 6, played with a flying disc nearby, running up from time to time to tell his dad about his fun in the sand.

The Jarmans, who live nearby in Wilmington, had not been on the beach as a family in more than four years.

As Murphy looked out at the waves, he remarked that it was one of the best surfs he had seen all year. The National Weather Service gave credit for the extra wave action to Tropical Storm Colin, churning the Atlantic as it passed several hundred miles offshore.

Surfers and waders were challenged later in the day by rip currents, strong channels of water that flow away from the beach. Lifeguards cautioned swimmers Saturday afternoon about the potentially dangerous currents. Up and down the shoreline, ocean rescue teams helped pull overwhelmed swimmers from the sea.

Murphy wants to see "They Can Surf Again" get bigger every year. He urged the disabled participants to call him whenever they want to get back out on the waves.

"If you want to go, we're going to get you out there," he said.