Makki is backi. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Ben Gravy has made a name for himself by surfing weird waves, but he wouldn’t have been able to do that if no one was watching what he was doing. Zayn Makki, Gravy’s friend and filmer who is also known as Makki Films, played a huge role in Gravy’s rise to relative fame. But on April 24, Makki suffered a severe spinal injury that left him paralyzed. After months of rehab and hard work, Makki is back in the water.
“On the weekend of April 24th, our dear friend Zayn Makki — known to many as ‘Makki Films’ — was involved in a devastating accident that has changed his life in an instant,” a Gofundme campaign reads. “While spending time by the water, Zayn dove off a dock, not realizing the water below was far too shallow. The impact caused a severe spinal injury. Zayn suffered a C7 burst fracture vertebra, which led to significant trauma to his spinal cord, including deep bruising. As a result of these injuries, he currently has no feeling or ability to move anything below his chest. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition and required immediate, intensive medical care. Since then, Zayn has begun a long and uncertain journey toward recovery.”
Spinal cord injuries are not just debilitating physically, but mentally as well. In order to recovery properly, there needs to be a village. The mental toll on both the victim and their family and friends can be a difficult thing to navigate, but Makki is lucky enough to have that village.
“This guy’s attitude is amazing,” Gravy wrote. “Watching Makki take on this life-changing injury with a smile on his face and hope for the future is as inspiring as it gets!”
For his part, Makki couldn’t have been more stoked. “This will be the first time touching the water in three months,” he said from the beach. “I’m stoked more than anything. This could be my first time touching the earth in three months. Been in a wheelchair for the past three months. I haven’t even touched the earth, and I’m going to be grounded with Mother Nature. They’re going to throw me in the water and be like, ‘good luck.'”
Of course, they did not just throw him in the ocean and wish him the best. The number of people there to help him take his first proverbial steps back into the water was a testament to how much he is loved, and it’s heartwarming to see.
