“I have seen my physical health and my future flash before my eyes.”
Some years ago, three I’d suggest, I was commissioned by a Chinese magazine to write a piece on Soli Bailey, the one-time CT level Australian surfer.
The story was an explosion of hyperbole, the most overblown keystrokes I’ve ever written, and that’s saying something, as you know.
An excerpt.
“It’s men like Soli who hold the new surfing, which is neither dangerous nor paltry, neither exclusive nor overblown, in his palm, watching the light, the eternal light of a gift from the gods, dance over his fingertips.”
What made the experience memorable was the magazine’s Australian editor, a handsome homosexual in his early thirties, who asked me out, hardly surprising given the flowery words I’d submitted. He spoke in graphic terms of what he would do to the Byron Bay maestro and Pipeline Pro winner if he was given carte blanche.
I refused the kind offer, although I always wondered if it was a sliding door moment, a gentle entry into the homosexual world where sex is easy and beautifully shallow and so much different to the myriad emotional struggles the heterosexual male must struggle with in his search for the guilt and consequence-free screw.
Anyway, Soli Baily. A terrific man, knows how to wrangle a barrel or two as evidenced by his Surfline series, but is now beset with physical problems after suffering a neck injury.
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I’ve been pretty quiet on socials the last few months as I have been out of the water after suffering a serious injury to my neck whilst surfing in Hawaii back in February.
I have seen my physical health and my future flash before my eyes. What began as discomfort turned out to something far more serious, where a disc in my cervical spine had ruptured and was pushing directly into my spinal cord causing compression and symptoms in my arms. It’s been confronting to face the very real possibility that my life may never look the same again.
Since then, it’s been a heavy journey mentally, emotionally, and physically. Countless scans, opinions, and setbacks eventually led me to undergo spinal surgery this week. Now on the other side, I have something I haven’t had in months; a path forward in my recovery. I am grateful to have an incredible support crew around me, including a brilliant medical team, my fiancé, family and sponsors who believe in my recovery as much as I do.
This is just the beginning of the road back not only to surfing, but to full health. I’m glad to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll be sharing more of the journey as I go, the highs and the lows.
Plenty of thinking and praying going on in the comments with the most moving coming from Selema Masekela, whom you know from his struggles with White Supremacy within the sport.
He writes,
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I think we can all agree that Soli is solid. Such a great surfer. Hope to see him back soon.
Speedy recovery to that ruptured S Masekela1 you fuckin tube-pig!
Who actually is this dude ?
Bailey recognizable, eh?
Just a better surf than most walking the planet. I’m a fan.
He’s just lucky he didn’t wasn’t in Hawaii yesterday when the tsunami swept through.
Oh that’s right (even big) earthquakes almost 30 miles under the seafloor do fuck all…
Location. Location…I suppose.
Thank god Obama wasn’t in power. We all know what he’d have done to Hawaii if he still had control of the weather / earth
I find it very hard to believe you’ve never been down that road, Dez
Hard to believe, yes, even I doubt myself.
Anyone who refers to people as “gem human” deserves a special place in hell
Derek, have you not heard the old sailors maxim “Go ugly early”?
I haven’t! Tell.
And don’t forget any port in a storm!
No gofundme? Oh wait, that’s only for American health care. Heal up, Soli, and get back to Ilha do Fogo for more mind bending barrels.
#Truth
Good luck with the recovery Soli.
Stay off the opiates brother.
The majority of people use them responsibly
Still a pretty rough 48 hours to get through the withdrawals even if using them responsibly post-surgery and you first stop taking them for a few days.
It makes post-surgery recovery thoroughly delightful. But so sad when little box runs out.
it was bad enough that I threw out my Norco Rx for the two subsequent surgeries I’ve had since then—CBD/THC gummies worked far better for pain relief and I didn’t jones for them once I didn’t need them any longer
as CT says…come off the Oxy’s early with THC Gummy’s ,works a treat and now available with a prescription in Australia….
bong-hits mate.
I get to see the inside a peoples bathroom cabinets almosr everyday and quite often there are boxes of opiates months old with only a few used.
And then i have a great day!!
That’s why you taper down slowly. I had surgery on my back/spine a couple years ago and thank god for Oxycodone. It would have unbearable without. I tapered down to just one dose a day and that point, it was more for fun/boredom being at home still recovering then from pain.
Eventually though you run out and that’s it! I was bummed, but not a big deal at the end of the day.
But everyone’s different and for some folks it is much more addictive.
Or enjoy, indulge, briefly, before throwing away in disgust.
Throw them to Dogsnuts, I will dispose of thoughtfully.
Xox
Do you mean you’d shelve them ?
Or put them on a shelf for later ?
Haha I didn’t even consider that. I have never ingested anything in my bumhole before!
Xox
Remember when butt chugging was a thing several years back? I mean wtf are people doing to think up some shit like that and then actually do it
We didn’t have much internet so we just did whatever!
Xox
There was plenty of internet between 2015 and now. Makes it weirder.
Opiates, not amyl nitrate
Lolol. That’s definitely my go-to.
Take two or three and then rest the bag down until I get my next earache or tweak my back. A bag of 10 can last me years, but it’s great to know that they’re there.