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Orlando Man to Break the World Stand-Up Paddleboard Record |
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By: Matt Crofton
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Monday, 29 August 2011 |
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Matthew Crofton from Death Bed to the Mississippi River
ORLANDO, Florida - In the summer of 2010, Matthew Crofton was given hours to live while lying in a hospital bed on life support. Now, one-year later, Crofton is attempting to shatter the world record for longest distance on a Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) to raise money for the hospital that kept him alive and to write his book, The Mighty Journey.
Author, Matthew Crofton, began his life of adventure by taking his Honda motorcycle around the country through forty states back in 2008. He spent ten months on the road and it was on this journey that Crofton wrote his first book The Adventures of Tumbleweed.
Crofton then moved to Costa Rica in the Fall of 2009 to live and work on a sailboat in the Pacific Northwest. While exploring caves, Crofton was infected with a rare disease called Histoplasmosis (a fungal disease found in bat feces). On June 20, 2010, it caused him to slip into a coma and was placed on life-support. Crofton went into total organ failure and began hemorrhaging from his eyes, ears and nose. Crofton's family were informed that he had less than forty-eight hours to live. If he did awake, he would need a liver transplant and would
Two weeks later, Crofton woke up from his coma. Soon after waking, his kidneys began to function again and his liver began to regenerate itself. Crofton spent three months in the hospital and three months learning how to walk again. He went from wheelchair to walker and eventually took up paddle boarding as a way to finish off his rehabilitation.
Crofton will take on the 2,400 + miles of the Mississippi River solo; armed with only his 14' YOLO paddleboard. His gear consists of: 1-man tent, sleeping bag, clothes, and a small laptop is strapped to the front of his board.
"My journey began with the intent to conquer the Mighty Mississippi, but my mission has changed. I've seen how my story with the brush of death and my trip down the river, has affected the lives of those I encounter. I now believe my purpose for taking this adventure is to share the truth that miracles still exist." Matthew Crofton
More at www.mightyjourney.com
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