Everything can change in the blink of an eye while surfing. For Rolando Stanley-Ozuna, a session at home turned into a nightmare when he broke his femur. Now, friends and fellow surfers are rallying together to help him recover.
Though Stanley-Ozuna is not a household name just yet, he has made his mark on the surfing world. This year, the heavy water surfer partnered with Olympian and fellow Mexican Al Cleland Jr in a project that sought to bring clean water access to three separate villages in Fiji’s highlands.
As such, it makes sense that Cleland was one of the first to sound the alarm on Stanley-Ozuna’s need for help. “He had a freak accident surfing at home,” he explained in an Instagram post. “Broke his femur on an underground sand pit! His road to recovery is gonna be long and difficult but if we can all help to get this guy back on his feet it would mean the world to him! If you know him you know how much of a legend he is and he would do anything to help someone! Now he needs our help.”
As the GoFundMe page dedicated to his recovery explained, in the immediate wake of the accident, it was a dicey proposition getting him medical care. Due to heavy surf, it took nearly an hour to get him onto a ski and out of the water. From there, he was put into the back of a truck and rushed to the closest urgent care.
“Rolando means the world to those who know and love him, and those that do understand that movement is the center of Rolando’s life,” explained the description for the fundraiser. “He’s tough as nails but this injury has turned life around in the blink of an eye. While his recovery is mainly physical, it will also be a mental and emotional battle.”
