Veteran Cape Town surfer Glenn Bee stole the show when he turned up as a "wave-spotter" at the big-wave surfing event at Dungeons, just eight months after narrowly escaping death.
Bee is lucky to be alive. His friend, Brian Crabb, who was cycling with him on November 25, the day of their accident, was not as lucky.
Bee, 48, and Crabb, 35, had been out training for the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour when a bakkie ploughed into them from behind, instantly killing Crabb and leaving Bee critically injured and in a coma.
The driver, 23-year-old Liam Jelliman, stands accused of culpable homicide and reckless driving. He is also alleged to have driven away after hitting the two men.
Bee, who has been involved in the Red Bull Big Wave competition since its inception ten years ago, said he held no anger towards the driver, but that this did not make it any easier to deal with Crabb's death. "It's out of my hands; Jelliman now has to face the justice system."
Before the accident the self-employed businessman occupied his spare time with physical activities such as cycling and, more often, surfing.
He now suffers from short-term memory loss, making it impossible to work more than two days. Doctors told him that, while he would recover physically within 2009, he would never be able to taste or smell again.
For him, the most frustrating part of recovery was knowing it was a drawn-out process.
"My life feels like it is in limbo," he said.
But these drawbacks have not diminished the popular surfer's jovial side - he said he was just glad he was "still sucking air".
1 comment:
Heavy.
THe only bright light would be if he returns to shape physically and can only work 2 days a week. That's a lot more surfin'!
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