Big wave World Champion gets candid following Pipeline wipeout and concussion: “Depression is real. Seek help. Don’t wait.”
Head injuries in surfing have been somewhat of a hot topic recently.
Something that was once taboo to talk about in surfing – concussions and the resulting mental health struggles that can follow – are being discussed openly, unlike ever before. And now, Billy Kemper has entered the chat. He shared his experience on Instagram:
“I don’t really know where to start with this, but the fact that I’m having a hard time with it, I feel like I should probably throw it out there.”
Earlier this winter, Billy endured a slew of injuries. First, during the Pipe Masters, he wiped out on a wave, was drilled into the reef, and suffered a grade-2 MCL tear in his left knee. Then, during the Backdoor Shootout in January, Billy went down once again and this time hit his head. “I was severely concussed, and I got a few stitches on my face,” Billy said. “But it was nothing that I’ve never had before.”
Not too long after, the Eddie Aikau Invitational event was called on. And Billy, being the committed athlete that he is, couldn’t help himself but don the jersey and paddle out.
“They called on the Eddie Aikau event,” he said. “Knowing where my head was at, I wasn’t in a good place. I probably shouldn’t have put on a jersey to compete. But I was put in touch with some of the best brain doctors in the world from Shane Dorian. I was put on a bunch of IVs, sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber, a few brain treatments…and after that, I said ‘f*ck it. Gimme the jersey. Let’s go.’”
After placing fourth in the Eddie, Billy’s injuries started catching up with him.
“I took a little break from surfing and training in general,” he said. “I just didn’t feel that good. That little two-week break turned into a month, then another month…about ten weeks later, I realized I could count how many times I had surfed on one hand in the past two and a half months. I could count on one hand how many times I’d shown up to training. For anyone who knows me, that’s not me.”
Billy went on to further discuss the symptoms he experienced, the help he sought, and the stigma surrounding mental health in surfing. Like a lot of other surfers stepping forward – including Shawn Dollar, Albee Layer, Derek Dunfee, Sterling Spencer, and many others – Billy wants to change the narrative around brain injuries and mental health in surfing.
“This is real,” he said. “I owe a lot of apologies to my friends who have been concussed over the years. I would say, ‘man up. Get back out there. You look fine to me.’ But depression is real. So is irritability, sensitivity, loneliness, darkness, trying to find happiness. I never thought in my entire life that I wouldn’t be happy. I’m one of the luckiest, most grateful humans to be walking on earth.
“This message is for everyone out there who is dealing with mental issues – seek help. Don’t wait. Don’t push yourself into a closet and act like nothing is wrong. Don’t hide your emotions. Get up and speak up. Anything is fixable. I feel like I’m 18 [years old] again. I’m motivated, I’m inspired. I’m ready to kick ass, enjoy life, and to get back to doing what I love doing.”
We’re so stoked to see Billy back to his old self again, and to be opening up about the issues of mental health and brain injuries in the sport of surfing.
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