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A Friend in Need - Daniel Velasco

As any XTERRA athlete can attest to - with any great adventure comes risk.  For long-time XTERRA amateur racer Daniel Velasco the adventure was a paragliding flight on Maui – and  the risk was realized when a wrong turn sent him spiraling to the ground at high speed.

“I lost all the altitude I had gained and hit the ground hard. At first I thought I had just knocked the wind out, but as my girlfriend ran down to my aid we soon realized I had broken my back,” said Velasco from his bed at Maui Memorial Hospital.

Velasco, 29, is in stable condition now (the accident occurred March 21) but suffered a serious spinal cord injury and cannot feel anything from his lower rib cage down.  Today he will be transferred to the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific in Honolulu.

Born and raised in Colombia, Velasco (pictured here on the August 2010 cover of Trail Runner Magazine) moved to Hawaii in 2000 and has been a fixture on the island surf, triathlon, swimming, cycling, and running scenes ever since.  He’s done the local XTERRA MountainMan off-road tri on Oahu eight times and the World Champs in Hawaii four times.

“Anyone that has ever surfed, biked, hiked, ran (hana relays) or simply hung out with Daniel can attest for his sweet disposition. He is a giver, a pure soul,” said his friend Juan Pablo.  You can read about the impression Velasco made on a visiting photographer, Kevin Winzeler, on his blog.

What makes the situation even tougher, is Daniel was without insurance when the accident happened.

“I’ve been in construction and was covered for all these years, however, the economy has been tough on the construction business in Kauai and I wasn’t able to keep steady work.  While I was going through this I was not able to pay for insurance,” explained Velasco.

As you could expect, medical bills are mounting, and Velasco needs help.  His friends have set-up an online account through Bank of Hawaii where contributions to “The Friends of Daniel Velasco Fund” can be made.

Checks can also be made to the The Friends of Daniel Velasco Fund and mailed to 384 Pualoa Nani Place, Kihei, HI 96753.

Words of encouragement are also welcome, email to danielvelasco@yahoo.com.

Follow Daniel on his road to recovery at http://www.danielvelasco.info/.