I’ve always been blown away by the paralyzed surfers who hit the water, and for years have been fond of one surfer in particular, Patrick Ivison, an amazing teenager who has more stoke for the ocean than most people I know.

Ivison, who suffered a spinal cord injured when he was just 14-months old when he was hit by a car, is teaming up with surfing dog Ricochet coming up on Oct.11  for the  Surf City Surf Dog event in Huntington Beach. 

There’s two different options for donating to the fundraiser event for Patrick, and much help is needed.  The first supports Patrick with his “Help Patrick Walk” fund which helps pay the costs of his ongoing treatment at Project Walk, an intense physical therapy program.  The second will help Patrick pay for his new service dog, Kona. 

Click here to learn more.

Here’s more from the site:

Patrick’s goal is to attend college one day, and be independent in life. He dreams of walking across the stage at his high school graduation in 2012, and I believe with his determination, the help of Project Walk, and your donation to “Paw-abunga for Patrick”, he will realize his dream! 

Patrick is also in the process of getting a service dog to give him more independence.  You can learn more about that at my other Pawabunga For Patrick page which includes additional info, pictures and videos.  In addition to that, you can visit Patrick’s site, Help Patrick Walk.

Patrick also enjoys surfing, playing hockey, rugby, basketball, and snow skiing.  The videos below will give you a better idea of who Patrick is too… and what Project Walk is all about.  I feel privileged to know Patrick, and I hope you enjoy getting to know him too!

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On a personal note, I met this kid years ago during one of his first surf session down in San Diego. I’ve seen him grow into a young man, and at each event he always flashes  an infectious smile. He recently became a member of his high school surf team, and has become a spokesman on behalf of people in wheelchairs who surf.

Ricochet’s owner, Judy, just sent me this amazing video of Patrick walking … you have to check it out!

Patrick and the adaptive dog Ricochet will be out at Dog Beach this Saturday at noon to practice, so come check them out!

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