Finding Freedom on the Water

Water has long been associated with healing. Soothing the mind, easing pain, and restoring balance are just a few ways in which the water transforms lives. For individuals with disabilities, the therapeutic qualities of water can offer more than just relaxation. They can unlock a powerful path to improved mobility, strength, and emotional well being. In this blog, we’ll explore how water based therapy is helping people with disabilities overcome physical limitations and reconnect with their bodies in profound, life-changing ways. We interviewed a long time Shake A Leg friend, Andrew, for his experience on the water and how it’s helped him navigate his experience since having a TBI.  

Before his traumatic brain injury (TBI), Andrew’s life was fast, loud, and full of movement. He was a born and raised Miami, Florida boy, with dirt bikes and boating.  He calls it, “typical guy stuff”. School wasn’t much of a challenge, with a maintained 3.5 GPA without trying too hard. But most of his energy and joy came from being outside, especially on the water.

He recalls the ocean as serene, exhilarating, and peaceful, all at once. It demands your full attention. Things can go sideways fast, so you’re always on your toes. Even before his injury, he respected the water. It was always more than just a backdrop to his weekends. It was a place that made him feel alive.

Life After TBI

Andrew prefers not to mention how his injury happened, and that’s okay. He believes that what matters is how it changed him, and more importantly, how he's grown from it. These days, he uses a wheelchair to get around and struggles with memory, but he’s alive. And that alone is enough to make him feel thankful every single day.

"It made me a more grateful and caring person. Sure, I can’t walk anymore. But I’ve got friends who can’t feel their legs, and I also have friends who run marathons,” Andrew told us in an interview. Perspective is everything. No matter how tough things get, it can always be worse, and it can also get better.

Discovering Shake-A-Leg: A Life-Changing Weekend

Andrew loves this story. The first time he heard about Shake A Leg, he had no idea how much it would change his life. “One Friday, a friend called me up and asked what I was doing over the weekend. I said, ‘Nothing,’ and he replied, ‘Alright, cool. We’re going sailing.’”

At just 10 months post-accident, Andrew couldn’t wrap his head around it. “How are we going to get me onto a sailboat?” His good friend simply said, “Just trust me, bro.”

So, he did.

That Saturday, he met their skipper, got on the boat, and sailed. And just like that, Andrew was hooked. He fell in love with sailing instantly, and like he says, “the rest is history”.  

Sailing: More Than Recreation

Andrew has tried it all: powerboating, kayaking, canoeing, and wakeboarding... but sailing? That’s where he found his home. There’s something about the complexity, the simplicity, and the beauty he finds to be captivating.

He recalls how he felt after his first sail. “You should have seen my big, dopey smile after that first sail. It was such an incredible feeling, harnessing something so much bigger than myself but still feeling so in control. I realized the therapeutic properties and elements the ocean has. Words feel useless.”  

What the Water Can Give

When asked how being on the water makes him feel, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, Andrew responded with “ALIVE!!!” After his injury, he never thought he would be trusted with something like a boat again, let alone with other people’s lives. But here he is, confidently captaining sailboats and handling some pretty big vessels.

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