VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It's fascinating to hear Raul Pernites describe the serenity that comes with being one with the water.
"You're at peace," he said. "It's you, the wave, and him upstairs. And sometimes you might have a porpoise next to you."
Catching a wave is something Pernites feared he'd never experience again.
"I know how I felt, you know, when I broke my neck and I couldn't surf anymore," he shared.
I met up with him at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront to find out how that all changed. It's thanks to a man much like him. The two are bonded by adversity and strength. Jesse Billauer was one of the top junior surfers in the world. Then, an injury turned his world upside down. In the blink of an eye, Billauer was paralyzed. In time, he would start a non-profit group called Life Rolls On. It offers adaptive sports, like surfing, to people with disabilities.
"We started this in 2007, you know, pretty much for selfish reasons," Pernites told me.
Watch more from Virginia Beach: USNS Burlington deploying for humanitarian, civic assistance mission
That first event in Virginia Beach welcomed ten surfers. This year, when it returns in August, organizers expect about 100. Registration is now open. Click this link to sign up and learn about volunteering.
Many of the surfers at the Virginia Beach event will be children. Pernites knows their struggle.
"(I know) how hard it is to watch your friends during the summer do the thing that you used to love, and you can't do it anymore," he explained. "And so now that I'm doing it, these kids who never thought they could ever surf, get to surf."
That's the feeling that keeps him coming back. In those waves, Pernites, in Virginia Beach, and Billauer, in California, have found purpose. And with their example, these kids are finding joy.
"When they come back out of the water, it's like they're a whole new person with this big smile that will last a whole year."
