By know, we all know what happened to Ydwer and the fundraiser that’s currently running. Our friends at Mystic have been generous enough to contribute to this fundraiser by auctioning 4 items. Mystic will double the highest bids and donate the full proceeds to the fundraiser. If you’ve thought about a new wetsuit or harness, this could be a very nice opportunity!
Below you can select the item of you choice and go to the auction page by clicking on it. The auction has already started and will run until March 10, 2021 – 4:00pm CET.
If you haven’t heard about Ydwer’s accident, scroll down to learn more.
On Thursday, February 4th, Ydwer was surf foiling near home at Noordwijk in the Netherlands when his foil hit the ground and he was thrown forward. Landing on his head he crushed the C6 vertebra in his spine. Unable to move in the water he was rescued by the friends he was surfing with and rushed to hospital by paramedics where he was immediately taken into theatre.
After a day on a ventilator and two days without it on ICU, then three more days on a neurology ward, Ydwer is now resident at a specialist rehabilitation centre, Heliomare in Wijk aan Zee, where his treatment will continue for the foreseeable future.
Ydwer’s friends have decided to start a fundraising campaign. Lots of people have offered their support and we feel that donating through this fundraiser is a good way for us all to collectively help make a difference at this very early stage of his recovery.
Ydwer and Marije are a responsible couple with suitable insurance for Ydwer’s career, but with an injury as serious as this and the lengthy, specialised recovery process to follow, there will be challenging costs that go beyond any policy cover.
A short list of extra elements they’ll at least need to consider are likely to be:
– Equipment costs, such as wheelchairs, specialist beds and in-home aids
– Home modifications including ramps, railings and lowering bench tops
– Vehicle modifications
– Perhaps biggest of all could be visiting a specialist outside of Holland as that’s not covered by their insurance.
Read more about Ydwer’s recovery here. We, as Ydwer and Marije’s family and friends, appreciate any support, messages and donations you can offer at this difficult time. One day, hopefully soon, we’ll get to see Ydwer behind his lens taking spectacular images again.