The healing power of Surfing

January 8, 2007 5:09 PM

Born with a rare syndrome that left him profoundly autistic, seven-year-old Luke was trapped in his own body. But then his dad took him surfing. More on Izzy Paskowitz and Elliot Zuckerman
posted by Shanachie (47 comments total)

Thanks for that.
posted by HyperBlue at 5:32 PM on January 8, 2007

Wow, amazing and uplifting story.
posted by nickyskye at 5:34 PM on January 8, 2007

From the U.K. (observer.guardian) to my own back yard. I've been a fan of the Paskowitzs for many years. Isn't Izzy an M.D.? I've always heard of him as Dr. Israel Paskowitz.

In anycase, fantastic post! I think Fragile X has been mentioned or discussed before, very interesting and cool stuff.
Thanks for posting it.
posted by snsranch at 5:35 PM on January 8, 2007

Fantastic story. Thanks for the post.
posted by ibmcginty at 5:38 PM on January 8, 2007

Great post. I saw Izzy on ESPN last year while I was watching sportscenter and waiting for a baseball game to start. Thankfully, I was alone so no one could see me with tears of joy and awe at hearing their story.
posted by dpanarelli at 5:59 PM on January 8, 2007

fabulous--thank you so much!
posted by amberglow at 6:03 PM on January 8, 2007

Thanks, excuse me while I get this dust out of my eyes !
posted by lobstah at 6:21 PM on January 8, 2007

Fantastic. Thanks so much.
posted by rtha at 6:24 PM on January 8, 2007

Fantastic indeed. Thank you.

I was likewise particularly moved by the recent UK TV movie After Thomas based on the huge impact a dog had on an autistic boy. The information pack linked from the Scottish Society for Autism's Website has interviews with some of the (real) family.
posted by sueinnyc at 6:32 PM on January 8, 2007

:)
posted by caddis at 6:41 PM on January 8, 2007

Dear god, this is amazing.
posted by JHarris at 6:53 PM on January 8, 2007

.... excuse me, I have something in my eye.
posted by WidgetAlley at 7:02 PM on January 8, 2007

Awesome. Seriously awesome. Thanks.
posted by hojoki at 7:03 PM on January 8, 2007

That's a wonderful story. Thank you so much for posting this.
posted by bshort at 7:03 PM on January 8, 2007

Yup.
posted by mmahaffie at 7:18 PM on January 8, 2007

More thanks from here.
posted by maxwelton at 7:25 PM on January 8, 2007

This reaffirms my dream to live in surfing country for a few months, right about any day now. I wonder if counter strike surfing is any substitute...
posted by anthill at 7:27 PM on January 8, 2007

link
posted by anthill at 7:28 PM on January 8, 2007

Huh, Izzy Paskowitz is the brother of Adam Paskowitz, former lead singer of The Flys and current front man of Jetliner. I doubt anyone cares except me but there you go.
posted by bob sarabia at 7:47 PM on January 8, 2007

Thanks.
posted by anotherpanacea at 7:48 PM on January 8, 2007

the world is unfair and Elmo can't fix that

thanks for this...made my night
posted by sicem07 at 7:54 PM on January 8, 2007

wow
posted by rks404 at 7:56 PM on January 8, 2007

Fantastic. Now I want to learn to surf.
posted by Colloquial Collision at 8:02 PM on January 8, 2007

excellent. thanks for the post.

also makes me wonder whether the glee i remember from surfing as a kid may have therapy-potential for us so-called adults?
posted by garfy3 at 8:15 PM on January 8, 2007

Just amazing. Thanks.
posted by mediareport at 8:16 PM on January 8, 2007

There was a great segment on the HBO series Real Sports about this. Real Sports is an underrated show despite being hosted by Bryant Gumbel
posted by Arch_Stanton at 8:18 PM on January 8, 2007

Great post.
posted by danb at 8:25 PM on January 8, 2007

Wow. Awesome post!

I want to learn to surf now too Colloquial Collision.
posted by djeo at 8:25 PM on January 8, 2007

This is amazing, thanks.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:26 PM on January 8, 2007

I needed this. Thanks!
posted by RenMan at 8:33 PM on January 8, 2007

Wow! What a story. I'd love to hear a follow-up! Man, autism is such a terrifying disease. I am seriously thinking about getting pregnant again, and almost nothing scares me more than autism. (And this coming from someone iwth Cystic Fibrosis! Autism scares me more.) It's one of the only reasons I'm thinking of not getting pregnant again. *sigh* If only life had assurances.
posted by aacheson at 8:33 PM on January 8, 2007

Come on, I don't have time to read all that. Can't this be summed up in a minute and a half on YouTube or something?
posted by notmydesk at 9:07 PM on January 8, 2007

What a story, and so nicely expressed. The inhaling little boy scent part was the only thing that stopped the waterworks. I sobered for a second -- then went, "Nahhh," and back to the moist-eyed wonderment.
posted by gorgor_balabala at 9:11 PM on January 8, 2007

I'll admit it, I cried at the end.
Fantastic post.

Donations Page for Sufers Healing
posted by evadery at 9:11 PM on January 8, 2007

Great story.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:27 PM on January 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

Huh, Izzy Paskowitz is the brother of Adam Paskowitz, former lead singer of The Flys and current front man of Jetliner. I doubt anyone cares except me but there you go.

I remember Paskowitz from Johnny and the Monsters.

Great article. The Paskowitz's are long-time fixtures from Orange County, my home town.
posted by frogan at 9:43 PM on January 8, 2007

That was beautiful. Thank you.
posted by greycap at 11:29 PM on January 8, 2007

Great, great post - thanks for the little tear.
posted by strawberryviagra at 11:52 PM on January 8, 2007

Another thank you. That was an incredibly touching and inspiring story.
posted by lastobelus at 12:34 AM on January 9, 2007

with muscles so weak his mouth wouldn't latch to his mother's breast

I can’t get past that line—glad to know he’s surfing with his dad now.:)
posted by hadjiboy at 5:10 AM on January 9, 2007

Paul Solotaroff can write. Sad but wonderful at the same time.
posted by dmt at 5:12 AM on January 9, 2007

almost nothing scares me more than autism. (And this coming from someone with Cystic Fibrosis! Autism scares me more.)

My autistic son spent five weeks in the hospital this summer. Pancreatitis caused by bile stones, caused by (drum roll here), Atypical Cystic Fibrosis. Scary doesn't even begin to describe those five weeks. The good news is that in the five months since leaving the hospital, he is doing so much better it's hard to even believe it.

Anyway, as to the surfing: amazing story. I may have to try it.
posted by Lokheed at 7:25 AM on January 9, 2007

Wow.

We used to joke about "hydrotherapy" as one more excuse to paddle out ("No one at the lineup notices if your eyes are red.") -- how powerful the ocean-spell is!

What a story. Mahalo for finding this, Shanachie!
posted by Surfurrus at 8:34 AM on January 9, 2007

Truly awesome.

*passes around the box of Kleenex*
posted by deborah at 8:48 AM on January 9, 2007

It's been said before, but Wow. What a story. It;s dusty here too, for some reason.

I've windsurfed (poorly) for about 20 years. It's not quite the same sort of Zen rush as pure surfing, but it shares the result of putting me "in the moment", which drives away anxiety and makes for a refreshing experience. At my most stressed I long for the release of just cruising around a nice lake. Cycling on a country road or trail has the same effect. I don't do these things often enough, unfortunately.

The article was the first time I'd ever heard about the positive effect of surfing on autistics. We make fun of the die-hard surf doods, but this article makes me think that such experiences are more transforming and more important to our well-being than I've previously thought. Hmmm.

* selling house, buying one-way ticket to Maui *
posted by Artful Codger at 8:54 AM on January 9, 2007

What a wonderful story. Kudos to the Dad who didn't give up and for his patience. Way to go kid. Whodathunk¿

Yeah, I love the ocean too.
posted by alicesshoe at 9:01 AM on January 10, 2007

I wish these autistic supermen would take over the world and enslave me already, for christ's sake.
posted by dozo at 1:09 PM on January 10, 2007