The Unbelievable Bravery of Benny Cryan Surfer & Survivor Chris Binns
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surfers PHOTO: TED GRAMBEAU The Unbelievable bravery Of benny Cryan SURFER & SURVIVOR CHRIS BINNS en Cryan is a surfer. A good surfer from Melbourne via Sydney and the Gold Coast who spent B a large part of his 20s exploring the world’s oceans, in between studying and working as a civil engineer. A little over two years ago, on the cusp of a new phase in his life, he boarded a plane to Micronesia, headed for the island of Pohnpei. A seasoned traveller, he didn’t think twice about buying travel insurance – “it’s not negotiable” – and in the end that decision saved his life. Literally. Surfing Life spent a few days with Benny down at Bells, where amongst other things he was enjoying, “meeting new people and having a couple of beers”, for the first time in a long time. After two of the most horrific years imaginable, Ben shared his remarkable tale with a smile and a sparkle in his eye, and a take on life that puts the rest of us to shame. This is his story ... At the start of 2011 things were looking pretty were straight back out there. I probably good. I’d just signed a contract allowing me to got a dozen really perfect waves. Big “They were operating all start my own engineering company, and another barrels. Towards the end of the day I was day, every day. They’d to own my first home. I had two weeks to fill in hunting a wave to come in on, and took operate, stop, warm me up, before I started my new job, so I called up David off on a big one with a long wall out in Scard (World Surfaris travel agent/hellman), ’cos I front. I pulled in and tucked up into the then operate again, trying knew there was some good surf heading for P-Pass. barrel, and looking back I travelled too to get the infection out.” I’ve surfed a lot of places around the world. Spent far in it. I remember the first spit going eight months in South and Central America, spent a over my shoulder, and going, “fuck!” I lot of time in Puerto Escondido in Mexico and then did a little turn to try get higher to get down to El Salvador. I ended up at the long lefts in more speed, then the second spit just hit Peru, and the Galapagos Islands were really cool too. me and blew me off my board. I tried to dive down have been on something more serious straight They were the highlights. Did Europe in a Kombi as deep as I could, but I couldn’t get away from it away, because a day or two later the infection van, through France, Spain, Portugal, and a couple and it picked me up, sucked me over, then drilled started to kick in. of months in Morocco. Have been to Bali and the me into the reef. I called my girlfriend at the time and told her what rest of Indo plenty of times, boat trips, G-Land, that I managed to get my feet out in front of me, but had happened, but asked her to keep it from my sort of thing. my back went straight into this piece of coral, and parents. She didn’t, and I’m glad of that, because P-Pass was getting known, a remote island with straight away I thought I’d broken my back. Turns out dad freaked out, got travel insurance involved, and a hell of a wave. After I saw all the perfect shots I did, I fractured my coccyx and a few lower vertebrae, thank fuck he did. The insurance company sent coming out of there I knew I had to give it a go. I but at the time I thought I was a paraplegic and that a plane from Sydney to pick me up and fly me to booked last minute, the day before, and got there it was game over. I remember wiggling my fingers, Melbourne, and if it hadn’t have got there when it the next night. In hindsight the best thing I did was and I could do that, then I wiggled my toes, and I did there’s no way I would have survived. During to book travel insurance. Thankfully by that point it could do that, so I knew I wasn’t paralysed, and I the flight the infection became so bad in my body wasn’t something I even considered, I’d always had it managed to swim under the next wave. All the boys that it went into septic shock. That’s when your body when I travelled, you just have to. It’s not negotiable, on the boat were cheering, then they realised pretty shuts down your organs to try and preserve them. especially when you’re going to a wave that’s remote quickly I was in a lot of trouble and swam over and Generally if that happens, you’re fucked, you die. I and pretty dangerous, as most waves are over reef. got me. Luckily there was an American paramedic don’t remember any of this. When they picked me up It’s the same around Indo, you’ve got to be careful. onboard, and he started looking at me straight away. I blacked out, and I woke up about two months later. We got amazing waves for a week straight. Not They rushed me to land, and by the time we got In that two months, a shitload happened. I huge, but good, perfect, fun waves. I surfed a lot there I was lapsing in and out of consciousness. The basically died on the plane, and they were like, “shit, and was feeling really fit, then everyone started guys from the camp were very on it, they’d radioed we’ve gotta get him off.” They made an emergency talking about a swell that was on its way. The Vans through and had an ambulance waiting. I was straight landing in Cairns and rushed me straight in to the guys flew in, John John Florence, and Pat and Dane into the hospital and straight into surgery. In hindsight intensive care unit (ICU) at the hospital, and that’s Gudauskas, so it was proper. It was too big for me the that probably wasn’t the best thing to do, but after when a whole series of operations started. They were day they arrived, and I sat in the boat most of the day the operation the surgeon was happy. He thought operating all day, every day. They’d operate, stop, and watched. I couldn’t help myself though, I had to he’d done a good job, and it was neat and tidy, but warm me up, then operate again, trying to get the paddle out just to feel the power. I was so scared. he mustn’t have cleaned it all up 100%. Some of the infection out. By this stage the infection was in my John John kept paddling deeper and saying how coral or poison must have been still inside me. skin as a bug, and it starts eating through your flesh. fun it was, but I just kept paddling for the horizon, The surgeon told me to spend the next couple of It’s called necrotising fasciitis, or NF. It’s rare, but it’s and kept wondering how I was going to get back in. nights in hospital, and then I’d be right to catch my like gangrene, and they’ll often cut your arms or your The next day the swell had settled a little and we flight home. The hospital didn’t have any antibiotics, legs off to stop it spreading, so they started cutting surfed all day. Had some lunch on the boat then we I was just on a saline drip, and obviously I should away around my arse and the top of my legs. SURFING LIFE • 0108 • ISSUE 297 SURFING LIFE • 0109 • ISSUE 297 surfers My parent had flown to Melbourne, then heard their kidneys were compatible. Mum was the better I was in Cairns and almost dead so they flew match and she put the hand up, and effectively gave straight there. A doctor told them I wasn’t going to me a new life. Mum never hesitated, she didn’t think survive the night, so Dad had a priest read me my last it was a decision she had to make, she just did it, and rights that night. I was unconscious, and my family all for that I’ll be forever grateful. said their goodbyes and the priest basically gave me To mum and dad, for all the love they’ve shown away. Somehow I woke up in the morning, and kept me, I can’t be thankful enough. It really is your family hanging in. The doctor said if the plane had been an and friends who get you through these sorts of hour later I never would have survived. If I’d been a things. Staying positive and overcoming adversity, couple of years older I wouldn’t have survived, and if I a lot of it comes from within, but a huge amount was a smoker I wouldn’t have survived. Being in such of that is generated by the support of your friends. good shape from surfing, and naturally being pretty I was getting 20-30 emails a day from around the fit and healthy was one of the main reasons I hung in.