WEST CAPE MAY – A local business person who suffered a spinal cord injury nearly 15 years ago and who has been an outspoken advocate of beach safety has started a foundation to support others with similar injuries because he believes “Life’s opportunities shouldn’t limit anyone because they are in a wheelchair.”
Chad DeSatnick was 23 when he was surfing during a storm at Poverty Beach, one of Cape May’s beaches. On his third wave, he was thrown headfirst into about three inches of water, shattering his lower cervical nerves, C6, and C7. He endured 11 hours of surgery to repair his vertebrae and was told he may never again walk much less surf.
After seeing how his injury and recovery affected his family, DeSatnick wanted to help others, especially those in Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland, and Ocean counties. He recently started publicizing the foundation more to raise awareness for several upcoming events that will provide funding for education and awareness, and also help individuals and families cope, financially and emotionally, with spinal cord injuries.
“There are a lot of spinal cord injuries in South Jersey,” DeSatnick said, “not just from surfing or swimming. They can happen during horseback riding, in a sports match or a car accident as well.” He rattled off a number of local families who have already received help from the DeSatnick Foundation, saying that sometimes “just knowing there are others out there is a help.”
DeSatnick initially got involved with the Life Rolls On Foundation, which recognized him as Volunteer of the Year in 2015. It was begun by Jesse Billauer to improve the quality of life of young people affected by spinal cord injuries. Billauer is a world champion quadriplegic surfer and motivational speaker.
“We did a lot of events in California (where they are based) and then we brought them to the New Jersey and New York areas,” DeSatnick noted about Life Rolls On. “This is the tenth year we are hosting a surfing event in New Jersey.”
Surf Wildwood Crest is June 19, for adaptive athletes and their families (http://liferollson.org/new-events/wildwoodcrest).
Once DeSatnick realized families with spinal cord injuries in South Jersey needed support, he started his foundation.
While it took 18 months to get the charity not-for-profit 501c3 status, he is modeling his foundation after the “successful” Dean Randazzo Cancer Foundation. Randazzo is an Atlantic City native who became a professional surfer at 21. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the height of his career and has suffered through several bouts of cancer.
Two events last summer sponsored by the DeSatnick Foundation were successful, according to the founder, so they are scheduled again this summer.
A Cape to Cape Paddle Boat Race from Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, Del. to the Queen Street Beach, Cape May, is scheduled June 26. A concert by Donovan Frankenreiter, a surfer, and musician, is planned Aug. 2 at Beach Creek Oyster Bar and Grille, Wildwood. (http://DeSatnickfoundation.org).
The foundation has raised about $10,000 thus far through events and donations.
“The surfing community is a tight-knit community,” DeSatnick said. “But it’s no longer just those 15- and 16-year-old kids. It’s professionals who are attorneys or business owners. As we’ve grown older, it’s a great way to relax.”
DeSatnick said he swims, paddle boards and continues to surf, although “not so often” in Cape May because of the slope, or shore break, on the beaches. “I am more cautious when I go out surfing. The waves are ever-changing the sand, so you have to be careful. I was lucky not to suffer from permanent paralysis.”
Today, the self-described “concerned citizen” just moved into a new home in West Cape May with his wife; they are expecting their first child this fall. “I still do rehab exercises today,” DeSatnick said, “because as I am getting older, I do have issues with pain. Keeping your 10- or 11-pound head above your shoulders takes work, and I want to have a healthy body.
“Every spinal cord injury is different,” he added. “We can provide education to families, to groups, to schools if someone wants. I feel good about getting involved in something like this because it can help others be aware of the dangers and benefits of living in a coastal community.”
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.
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