"If I wasn’t surfing every day and keeping it clean then the infection would've gone to my brain or spine and I would have been a vegetable.”
A pivotal member of the Kirra Boardriders’ club, one of the best collection of shredders in Australia, has narrowly avoided becoming what used to be called “a vegetable” but is now correctly noted as “being in a vegetative state” after x-rays showed the nose of his surfboard near his brain, seven months after a wipeout.
Damien Rogers, who is nineteen, blew out his hamstring at D-Bah in July, 2020, making him fall and hit his head on his board.
Docs cleaned the hole in his head and stitched it closed leaving a four cm x two cm piece of surfboard in his head.
“I haven’t felt myself for the last seven month. I have had a lack of energy and I’d get headaches.”
A pal’s mum, a nurse, saw a photo of his still-unhealed wound and said he might wanna get to hozzy and have it checked out.
“I went in on Tuesday last week and they found the piece of board after doing some scans.”
Surgeons at Gold Coast University Hospital opened the teen up and scooped out the hunk of fibreglass.
“The doctors were surprised I was still walking around. They said if I wasn’t surfing every day and keeping it clean from the salt water then the infection would have gone to my brain or spine and I would have been a vegetable.”
Just prior to the op, Rogers ate up the Gold Coast’s Cyclone Dovi swell.
“I’m so lucky I didn’t fall on any of those waves and hit my head again.”
Watch him pull into a closeout at 2:43 of the vid.
Out of the water, now, for six months or so.


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Oh FFS.
Any normal guy would have noted the d00d’s cute girlfriend. DR notes the pink hospital gown he’s wearing.
this 805 thing should be worth a story. does curren even drink beer?
Heavy. Reckon I know a few crew with fibreglass still wedged in their brain too.
Shoutout to all of those who go left at Kirra!
Young man blew out a hamstring whilst surfing and violently face-planted onto the nose of his board? For fucksake give up mate, take up gardening (but good stretch first).
Did he fall, or did he try and pull some Peter Parker s%^t in order to qualify for the CT?
How good is Kirra
Holllllllly shiiiiiiit. Wow. I’m speechless. Wtf. I would think that some imaging would be mandatory for head punctures. Thank goodness he’s ok. What a close call.
If you review DR earlier blog on the “rock fisherman “ you will note his news articles don’t match reality.
In this particular story the man was actually attacked by an magpie while riding a escooter in Logan.