When Barney Miller was 20-years-old, he was on his way to work when the car he was riding in hit a tree. A week later, Miller woke up in a hospital, completely paralyzed. Not able to move or even breathe, the outlook was bleak. Doctors told him he’d never walk again. He disagreed, and got to work proving them wrong.
A few years later, Miller ran into Mick Fanning at Jeffreys Bay, South Africa. They started up a conversation that soon blossomed into a friendship; it would become one that would inspire both men for years to come. Miller was in a wheelchair, but determined to walk again, and Fanning’s words of encouragement were a much-needed inspiration. Since then, it’s turned into a two-way street.
Aside from walking again, one of Miller’s goals was to be able to get down on one knee to propose to his wife, Kate. Fanning introduced him to a trainer to help. He flew the U.S. to a clinic, and in 2013, when Miller stood again for the first time since his accident, Mick was there to celebrate. Later that year, Miller proposed to his wife on bended knee, and she accepted. That was the same year Fanning won his third world title, which he dedicated to his friend. Barney and Kate married in 2015.
Fanning’s last year was a rocky one, to say the least–probably made harder because of his place in the public eye. Between a shark attack on live television, the death of a brother, and a split from his wife, all highly publicized, Fanning’s tumultuous year required a close friend to talk to. And that’s just what Miller was. “He inspires me more than I think he knows,” he told 60 Minutes.
Miller’s dogged determination in the face of adversity galvanized Mick’s resolve to surf as best as he could, despite the curve balls life threw him. And although he may not have won the world title, he was, in the eyes of many, the true winner of 2015. “I could have thrown in the towel at any time,” he said. “But, you know, when I went and saw Barney train it was sort of like that spark to go if he’s there bettering himself, why cant I?”
Now, of course, the two maintain a close friendship, surfing together any chance they get. Their goal is simple–much simpler most other things in life: getting Miller into the biggest and best waves they can find together.
