Rainy weather didn’t damper the enthusiasm of participants and volunteers who partook in the annual adaptive surfing event Life Rolls On.
“Life Rolls On, is a great day where we just make surfing accessible for people who need some adaptations to get into the water. So, we provide the equipment they need and the people to get them out there safely,” said Chrissy Merrigan, one of the event’s directors.
Life Rolls On is presented by SurfAble, an organization that connects people living with disabilities with an opportunity to surf.
The event, held annually at Martinique Beach, attracts a wide array of participants.
“We have our regulars who come out every year. We also have some new immigrants to Canada who come out. We had some Syrian refugees who had first come to Canada and they’ve come back for year two,” Merrigan said.
Forty people registered to take part in this years event, including Justin Burdon, a Nova Scotia man who’s been living with a brain injury since he was 17 years old.
“It’s changed his life completely. The things he could do before, he can no longer do, everything has to be assisted,” said Elizabeth Burdon, Justin’s mother.
Despite the obstacles her son faces on a regular basis, she says he’s constantly trying to improve his lifestyle.
“Everyday living has just been a huge, huge challenge and he just rises to the occasion, he has got a spirit that doesn’t quit,” she says.
Buron says her son’s never-say-die attitude led him to overcome a personal hurdle he faced at last year’s adaptive surfing event.
“He has had multiple surgeries to fix his feet so he can walk again, which he did this time to the surfboard. Last year, they carried him down on the surfboard.”
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