SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - An SDSU graduate is reflecting on an emotional journey, one year after a fateful swim left him paralyzed.
“I work hard for my family and friends. All the support they’re putting into me. I want to show them that I'm not taking it for granted.,” said Collin Bosse.
One year later, Bosse takes very little for granted.
On April 8, 2023, along Mission Bay, the 23-year-old Bosse, an SDSU grad and former competitive surfer, was hanging out with friends when he took several steps into the water and dove in. He misjudged the depth, his head striking the bottom.
“All I felt was a shock to my body, and I kind of floated to the surface … just felt pins and needles,” said Bosse.
His friends ran to his aid, helping stabilize him. At the hospital, he learned his diagnosis: he was paralyzed from the chest down.
“I didn't know how to feel. I just knew my life was never going to be the same again,” said Bosse.
In the past year, his new life has taken him to rehabilitation facilities in Colorado and San Diego, as he's worked to strengthen in his upper body.
While he can move his arms and wrists, he's unable to move his fingers.
Adapting to daily life remains a constant endeavor. He uses a stylus for his tablet. An adaptive fork helps him eat a meal.
“Things like going from my chair to my bed. Working on becoming more independent,” said Bosse.
Bosse admits there are difficult moments, when he reflects on what he's lost. He lets himself feel those emotions and moves on.
"Just growing up. I just don’t like being be sad. I’d rather be in the moment. I’m rather be happy and be doing things that make me happy,” said Bosse.
One moment of happiness was in January, when he returned to the water at a rehabilitation pool, and swam on his own.
“I was scared it was going to be a little traumatizing, but it wasn’t at all. It felt so nice,” said Bosse.
The swim was a precursor to something else.
“I will absolutely surf again in the next couple months,” said Bosse.
Using an adaptive surfboard, Bosse plans to joins his friends for a day of surfing when water gets warmer.
“When I see my future, I see excitement, doing things I’ve always wanted to do, just in a different way,” said Bosse. “I see fulfillment.”
A Gofundme campaign has been set up to help with Bosse's continuing medical and other expenses.
