A clip from documentary, What The Sea Gives Me.
Meet Andre Barbieri, one of the most inspiring and positive individuals on the planet with one passion, to surf. Andre lost his leg in a Mammoth snowboarding accident a few years back which nearly claimed his life.
It was a fairly normal run down the slopes when something sticking up in the snow caught his rail as he was turning. Seconds later, he recalls hitting the fence and the pain – lots of it! Going into shock, he has ‘blurry visions’ of being transported down the mountain.
Immediate prognosis? Compound fracture, severed femoral artery and bleeding to death, it was a close call. “It was just a leg, so I’m very lucky,” a very humble Andre says
6 months after his accident, Andre was back in the water and swimming, now nearly 5 years on and he’s as positive as ever and just as keen to surf, getting out there at every possible opportunity, even competing. When Andre isn’t surfing he is a taxi driver and training to be a triathlete and compete in the Olympic Games.
Andre claims “I’m a lucky guy, I could have easily died or been paralyzed forever.”
In the video above Andre speaks about his accident and the life changing news the doctor gave him.
We came across Andre’s story in the film What the Sea Gives Me by Pierce Kavanagh. The film celebrates those with a life-long connection with the sea; from a Great White shark researcher who risks life and limb to Andre who has overcome the worst, A fisherman’s story and a sailors adventure.
Check out Andre’s inspirational story in full featured in What The sea Gives Me now streaming on Garage Entertainment:
