On April 8, Santa Barbara–born Collin Bosse, a 23-year-old who had recently graduated from San Diego State, was swimming with friends at Mission Bay when he dove into unexpectedly shallow water and suffered a traumatic injury that instantly left him paralyzed from the chest down.
Bosse’s friends, who were on the beach at the time, immediately jumped into action to recover Bosse from the water and call emergency services. Thanks to their quick actions, he was transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego, where he underwent emergency surgery.
Bosse is a graduate of San Marcos High School, where he was a member of the water polo and surf teams, and he has been surfing all his life. He spent his entire childhood in Santa Barbara, where he volunteered as a surf instructor for young kids and worked for Kids Helping Kids, a nonprofit organization in Santa Barbara.
He is described by his friends as “one of the happiest, most uplifting kids out there,” and despite the uphill battle he faces, he is determined to get back in the water and surf with his loved ones again.
Encouraged by Bosse’s best friends, his family started a GoFundMe campaign to fundraise for Bosse’s medical care and rehabilitation services not covered by insurance. His family wrote on the page that this was “something we never even imagined would be necessary,” and that the fundraising campaign will help provide the Bosse family support to get Collin the care he needs to get back in the water.
“I don’t know if I will get as close to where I was before the accident in terms of surfing.” Bosse said. “But I will 100 percent surf again. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
In an Instagram post shared in July, Bosse described in his own words the outpouring of support he has received: “On April 8, 2023 I started my new life,” he wrote. “The people I’ve met along the way and the overwhelming support I’ve received has left me speechless. Thank you to everyone who has donated, reached out, or even thought of me during this time, you will never understand how grateful I am for every single one of you.”
To make a donation toward Bosse’s recovery, visit gofundme.com/f/collin-bosse.