Atlanta man left paralyzed after rare surfer's injury during honeymoon in Hawaii

ATLANTA - An Atlanta man who went surfing while on his honeymoon in Hawaii is paralyzed from the waist down after an extremely rare injury.

Brendan Town and his wife, Cho Pak, were on a two-week trip in Hawaii. 

"We had a very small wedding, and we saved all that money to go out, and have a wonderful honeymoon," said Town. 

Brendan and Cho took in the beautiful views, went hiking, and watched sunsets. Two days before they were scheduled to fly home, Brendan decided to try surfing and signed up for a lesson. That wa this past Thursday.

"I caught the first wave, and I was very excited. I think it was the adrenalin rush," said Brendan.

Brendan says when he popped up onto the board he felt a twinge. At first, he thought he might have pulled a muscle, but kept surfing. Over the next few hours his condition quickly deteriorated. He went to the hospital and was diagnosed with an extremely rare nontraumatic spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed below the waist.

"They told me it was surfer's myelopathy, essentially it's hyperextension of the lower back and a spinal cord injury," said Brendan. 

Brendan says doctors told him they've seen one case where a person was walking again in three to four weeks, others take months, and in others the paralysis is permanent.

"Life can be tough, and I'm not going to sit here and tell you I didn't cry about this," said Brendan. 

Brendan is going through physical and occupational therapy all while trying to stay positive for himself and his family. He and Cho are expecting a baby boy in February. 

"I have a baby boy on the way, I can't let this slow me down. I have to fight for him and my wife, and make sure I get back to full health," said Brendan. 

Brendan is hoping to bring awareness to this rare condition, maybe to get surf instructors to take extra precautions with new surfers, or as a warning to anyone who wants to try surfing. 

A GoFundMe has been set up to help him get back to Atlanta and continue his rehab as soon as he's physically able to travel.